CSK is reportedly interested in Sanju Samson as a replacement for MS Dhoni.
Samson missed the first three IPL 2025 games due to injury; thus, Parag took charge of the team. But according to Badrinath, Sanju may be searching for a new team because Parag is still a strong candidate for captaincy.
"I feel Riyan Parag is the reason. If you consider him for captaincy, how do you expect someone like Samson to stay?" Badrinath said on his YouTube channel.
Several reports have stated that CSK has shown great interest in trading in Sanju Samson from RR, which will solve most of their problems going forward.
Even though Samson is a like-for-like replacement for MS Dhoni, the former CSK cricket player also noted that the team might have trouble finding a spot for him in the starting lineup.
"If Sanju Samson does come to CSK, then he could be the like-for-like replacement for MS Dhoni. Samson is a batter who can bat in the top three or four spots in the batting order. He is not someone who could fit in the number five or six spot in the playing XI.
CSK are strong in those areas of the playing XI. Mhatre is settled, Gaikwad is settled, and Brevis is settled. I am not sure if CSK would do a transaction like MI did to get Hardik Pandya from GT. So even if Sanju Samson comes in, the question remains whether CSK can fit him into the playing XI," he added.
Badrinath also discussed the CSK captaincy problem, pointing out that given how strongly the team has supported Ruturaj Gaikwad, it is unlikely that Samson will be given the captaincy.
"The other aspect to consider is captaincy. Whether MS Dhoni leads or not, Ruturaj Gaikwad is the captain. He's led only for one season. If you give the captaincy to Samson, how would Gaikwad feel about that? That is something we need to consider. I think, keeping all these things in mind, CSK are still thinking of whether or not to go ahead," Badrinath concluded.
It remains to be seen whether Sanju Samson, who was retained by RR for INR 18 crores before the IPL 2025 auction, is worth enough for CSK to make confirmed moves to get him.