Experienced Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has supported Sanju Samson As a possible future captain of Chennai Super KingsMaking it clear that a wicketkeeper-batsman should create his own legacy rather than someone else’s. Reflecting on the evolution of CSK’s leadership, Ashwin pointed out that the transition has been in the works for some time. He traces it back to the period when Ravindra Jadeja Briefly took over the captaincy, although that phase did not go as planned. Since then, according to current captain Ashwin Rituraj Gaikwad With head coach Stephen Fleming quietly taking charge. “I think the mantle has already been passed. When Jadeja took over the captaincy a few years ago, I think the mantle was likely to be passed on. Didn’t do enough, and then it happened, Rituraj… I think Rituraj along with Fleming have been running the show for the last 2-3 years,” Ashwin told ESPNCricinfo. Looking ahead, Ashwin feels Samson could eventually lead the franchise, though he refrained from putting a time frame on it. “If you ask me, I mean, I’m not an astrologer, but all I can tell you is that I see Sanju captaining CSK at some stage. Not sure when, but I see it happening,” he added. At the same time, Ashwin stressed that Samson should not feel compelled to follow the path set by past leaders, a nod to CSK’s iconic era. MS Dhoni. “One thing I don’t want to risk and don’t want Sanju to do is step into someone’s shoes. You don’t really need to step into someone’s legacy. We don’t necessarily have to live like that or play like that,” he said. “He has his own unique outfit that he lives in, and I would like to see his own imprint on it. The fact that we need to follow someone’s footsteps is where the problem begins. Then we don’t live our lives, right? We begin to fulfill someone else’s footprints. That’s something I don’t want to see him do,” he explained.Meanwhile, Sanju Samson, who joined CSK ahead of the IPL 2026 auction through a trade, has turned his season around after an impressive start. He scored an unbeaten 115 against Delhi Capitals in CSK’s fourth game and carried that form into the next match with 48 off 32 balls. He will once again be in the limelight when CSK take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
