[WATCH] MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson Enjoy Cheerful Exchange In Pre-IPL 2026 Training

Veteran MS Dhoni was seen having a fun and relaxed chat with Sanju Samson during a practice session before IPL 2026. The 19th season of the tournament is set to start on March 28. As teams gear up for the new season, Chennai Super Kings shared a post on X on Friday, March 20, showing the two players talking casually.

Watch the video here:

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺, 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘫𝘶 ✨#WhistlePodu #Yellove pic.twitter.com/3xszspnsDd

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 20, 2026

IPL 2026 will be Sanju Samson’s first season with Chennai Super Kings after moving from Rajasthan Royals, while keeping his ₹18 crore salary. The 31-year-old has a lot of experience, having played 177 IPL matches and scored 4,704 runs at an average of 30.94 and a strike rate of 139.04.

He has also hit 26 half-centuries and three centuries, with his highest score being 119. Meanwhile, MS Dhoni is still CSK’s top run-scorer. He has scored 4,865 runs in 248 matches at an average of 39.23 and a strike rate of 139.11, including 22 fifties, with his best score being an unbeaten 84.

MS Dhoni misses out on Irfan Pathan’s CSK playing 12 for IPL 2026

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan shared a video on his YouTube channel on March 20, where he revealed his likely playing XI for Chennai Super Kings. In a surprising decision, he did not include MS Dhoni and instead picked Sarfaraz Khan, who last played in the IPL in 2023.

Urvil Patel was also not included in his team. Young players Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer, both bought for ₹14.2 crore each, were given places in the lineup along with Akeal Hosein. Meanwhile, Rahul Chahar and Anshul Kamboj were left out.

Irfan Pathan’s CSK lineup for IPL 2026: Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Sarfaraz Khan, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Noor Ahmad.           Impact Player: Khaleel Ahmed

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