IPL 2026: Sanju Samson should bat at No 3 for CSK, says Suresh Raina; ‘His role will be more important'

Former India batter Suresh Raina is of the opinion that Sanju Samson should bat at the No.3 position for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2026.

Samson was traded from Rajasthan Royals (RR) to Chennai Super Kings, and the Kerala batter will be raring to go as he is coming on the back of a successful T20 World Cup campaign.

Samson scored 321 runs from five matches that included knocks against West Indies (97*), England (89) and New Zealand (89) in the Super 8s, semi-final and final respectively.

He ended the tournament as India's top run-scorer, after being overlooked for the first half of their T20 World Cup campaign. His knock of 89 in the final against New Zealand helped India win the title with a 96-run win.

Suresh Raina on Sanju Samson's batting position at CSK

"He was the captain of the Rajasthan Royals for so many years. I think his role will be clear here. Will Sanju Samson or Ruturaj open Matre? Or will Ayush play as number three? If Sanju plays as number three, it will be good according to me, because then Dewald Brevis will come at number four," Raina, an iconic former CSK star, said on JioHotstar.

"Shivam Dube will come at number five. At number six, it depends on who you bring. Will Prashant Veer be there? Will Akhil Hussain be there? Will Noor Ahmed be there? It will be important to know how many fast bowlers play overseas," Raina added.

The former Uttar Pradesh cricketer also expect Sanju Samson to don the wicketkeepers' gloves from MS Dhoni. He reiterated why Sanju needs to bat at No.3 for the five-time champions.

"But Sanju will be there as a keeper. We saw the atmosphere he created when he played in the World Cup. He welcomed everyone there. I think his role will be more important as number three. If you allow Ayush Mhatre and Ruturaj Gaikwad to bat at the top, the middle order looks more experienced and stronger.

"Otherwise, after that, it will be MS Dhoni coming in, and I feel he will only play the last two or three overs. Before that, when Brevis comes in with Sanju, and then Shivam Dube after him, it becomes very important to have a player like Sanju there who brings a different level of experience,” he added.

Sanju Samson's first IPL season came with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2013. He has played for RR in all but two seasons, in 2016 and 2017, when the franchise was banned due to the IPL spot-fixing campaign.

In 2016 and 2017, Samson played for Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils), but returned to Rajasthan Royals ahead of the 2018 season.

Ahead of IPL 2021, Sanju Samson took over as the Royals' captain, and led his team to the final of IPL 2022, where they lost to Gujarat Titans (GT). Samson was traded from RR to CSK, whereas Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran went the other way, from CSK to RR.

Till date, Samson has played 177 IPL matches, and has scored 4704 runs, including three centuries and 26 fifties.