Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered their second consecutive defeat in the present Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) season, losing at home to Punjab Kings.  

Ruturaj Gaikwad's side was also outplayed by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati earlier this week. Despite scoring 209/5 after being put in to bat, CSK failed to defend the total at the MA Chidambaram Stadium due to poor bowling performance. The defeat to PBKS has put doubt on the five-time winners' ability to fight for the crown this year.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan and ex-New Zealand bowler Simon Doull indicated that CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad may feel "threatened" by Sanju Samson, citing the Rajasthan Royals captain's developing leadership skills.

"What about the captain, Gaikwad? Do you think he feels threatened [by Samson]?" Vaughan asked Doull during a discussion on Cricbuzz.

"Absolutely," Doull replied.

Sanju Samson moved to CSK from RR in a trade before the IPL 2026 auction. He had captained RR from 2021 to 2025 and was their most successful captain.

"So that's another kind of dynamic that you're looking at. [One of the league's] youngest captains, Gaikwad, he's done it a bit now, and you kind of go, 'Go on, we're gonna back you, you're the captain. But by the way, we're signing Sanju, who's a very good captain, and he's a keeper. And guess what? We've had a keeper who was a captain for a long period of time and did very well, and we're gonna try to replace him. But you carry on captaining and hope it doesn't affect you',” Vaughan added.

Meanwhile, Doull spoke about Sanju Samson’s poor form, where he has scored single-digit runs in his first two outings for CSK in IPL 2026. He believes Samson must recapture the confidence he demonstrated during India's T20 World Cup victory last month to establish his footing in the yellow jersey.

"Tough challenge for him, and it's one of those situations you find yourself in when you're not desperate, but when you want to play for a certain side, and you want to put on a show. I mean, he is a South boy, isn't he? He is a Kerala boy. He wants to put on a show. I think he feels like he's more at home. In the South, the trade happened; it was a big trade, as we've talked about-you've lost two high-quality players for one player.

So, the pressure's quite enormous, the pressure of maybe what they see him as in the future as well. But he has just got to think back to a few weeks ago, doesn't he? And how was he playing in the last three games [in the T20 World Cup]," said Doull.

CSK will clash with rivals RCB on April 5 in Bengaluru.

(Cricbuzz inputs)