Samson sees playing alongside Dhoni as an opportunity to learn from CSK`s legend

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The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections.

Ahead of the league, Chennai Super Kings` (CSK) newly added player Sanju Samson revealed conducting a conversation with legendary MS Dhoni. He also sees playing alongside Dhoni as an opportunity to learn from him.

“I have spoken to Mahi bhai (Dhoni) over the phone and interacted with him, but playing with him as part of a team will be great. I see it as an opportunity to learn from him,” he said.

Samson then said that he will not let his emotions take over when he takes the field against his former side, the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

“(I am) looking forward to playing for CSK, I feel grateful for the love and attention I have been getting from fans. This is the first time I will play against Rajasthan Royals, but I don`t let emotions rule me on the field. I left Rajasthan Royals because I felt my time in the team was over. Even if we come up against them now, I will play my best cricket,” said the Kerala-born cricketer.

CSK will begin its IPL 2026 campaign against RR on March 30 at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati.

IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals: Full Squads

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar.

Rajasthan Royals: Ravindra Jadeja, Sandeep Sharma, Adam Milne, Donovan Ferreira (WK), Jofra Archer, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande, Sam Curran, Nandre Burger, Riyan Parag (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Sen, Ravi Bishnoi, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Sushant Mishra, Yudhvir Singh, Shubham Dubey, Vignesh Puthur, Aman Rao, Kwena Maphaka, Yash Punja, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ravi Singh (WK), Brijesh Sharma.

(With PTI Inputs)

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