L-R: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Riyan Parag, Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma

An emotional subplot will headline Monday’s IPL clash as Sanju Samson faces Rajasthan Royals for the first time after leading them for over a decade. Now with Chennai Super Kings, Samson — RR’s former captain and all-time leading run-scorer — returns in top form following a stellar T20 World Cup campaign, where he struck three successive half-centuries.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!His move, part of a high-profile swap that saw Ravindra Jadeja rejoin Rajasthan, adds further intrigue. With MS Dhoni sidelined due to injury, Samson will share leadership duties with Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top.CSK appear in transition, bolstered by emerging talents and a varied bowling attack. Meanwhile, Rajasthan begin a new era under Riyan Parag, with Yashasvi Jaiswal leading the batting alongside Shimron Hetmyer.While RR boast explosive batting options, concerns linger over their bowling consistency. Both sides, coming off underwhelming 2025 campaigns, will view this clash as a chance to reset and rebuild momentum.

Top 5 players to watch in RR vs CSK clash

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (15 years old)The Rajasthan Royals opener enters his second IPL season carrying significant expectations after a sensational debut year. At just 14, he scripted history by becoming the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket, hammering 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025. His century came off just 35 deliveries, making it the second-fastest in IPL history. Across seven matches, he piled up 252 runs at a staggering strike rate of 206.55, underlining his fearless approach at the top. Against Chennai Super Kings last season, he scored a brisk 57 off 33 balls, including four sixes and four fours. His explosive powerplay batting makes him a key figure for RR once again.Riyan Parag (24 years old)Riyan Parag begins his first full season as Rajasthan Royals captain following Sanju Samson’s exit, taking charge at his home ground. One of the youngest captains in IPL history, Parag has steadily grown into a central figure for the franchise since his debut in 2019. In IPL 2025, he led the side in eight matches and scored 393 runs, emerging as RR’s second-highest run-getter with a strike rate of 166.52. His breakthrough came in 2024 when he amassed 573 runs in 16 matches at an average of 52.09. Overall, Parag has 1566 runs from 84 games at a strike rate of 141.84. Against CSK, he has scored 122 runs in eight matches, with a highest score of 47.Sanju Samson (31 years old)Sanju Samson will be in the spotlight as he turns out in Chennai Super Kings colours for the first time after being the face of Rajasthan Royals for over a decade. Having played 11 seasons with RR, he remains their all-time leading run-scorer with over 4000 runs. Overall, Samson has accumulated 4704 runs in 177 IPL matches at an average of 30.94 and a strike rate of 139.04, including three centuries and 26 fifties. He comes into the season in excellent touch after a Player-of-the-Tournament performance in the T20 World Cup 2026. His first outing against RR adds emotional weight, making him one of the biggest attractions in this contest.Kartik Sharma (19 years old)Kartik Sharma is a young wicketkeeper-batter, known for his power-hitting abilities. He became the joint-most expensive uncapped Indian player in IPL auction history when Chennai Super Kings signed him for Rs 14.2 crore. After being part of CSK’s wider squad in IPL 2025, he has now broken into the main squad for the 2026 season. If included in the playing XI, Sharma could make his debut, bringing with him the reputation of an aggressive young finisher.Ayush Mhatre (18 years old)Ayush Mhatre, another exciting young talent, enters his second IPL season after making a strong impression in 2025. He scored 240 runs in seven matches at an average of 34.28 and a remarkable strike rate of 188.97, including a high score of 94. Initially unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, Mhatre earned a mid-season call-up to Chennai Super Kings due to an injury to Ruturaj Gaikwad and made an immediate impact. Against Rajasthan Royals, he struck 43 off 20 at a strike rate of 215, showcasing his aggressive batting style.

Sanju Samson (Pic credit: CSK)

Just like MS Dhoni did all those years ago, the Kerala cricketer is making a grand entrance to the franchise following his heroics in the T20 World Cup. His first task, however, will be to revive Chennai’s fortunes by being consistent with the bat.It was the game against Zimbabwe in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup. Sanju Samson, who had just made a comeback in India’s playing XI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, was asked after the match about his “new home”. The reference, of course, was to the wicketkeeperbatter’s transfer to Chennai Super Kings from Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL).Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“I’m really excited about it, but right now I have other priorities. When the time comes, I’ll be looking forward to it,” Sanju said.Following that game, Samson went on to play three match-winning knocks for India in the next three games, winning the player of the tournament award as India won the World Cup. Now, he comes to Chennai as the toast of the nation as another IPL season beckons.

It is similar to the way MS Dhoni made a grand arrival in Chennai as CSK captain all those years ago after leading India to the 2007 T20 World Cup title. That time too, the franchise bosses hadn’t missed a chance to cash in on Dhoni’s growing popularity. It was a move that shaped the history of CSK and IPL.Now, as the sun is about to set on Dhoni’s long career, there’s a new hero emerging. No, Sanju isn’t the new CSK skipper. He doesn’t even have the responsibility of establishing the franchise as a brand. But there’s another challenge for the Rajinikath fan from Kerala — to reestablish the supremacy of CSK as a powerhouse in the IPL.The last couple of years have been wretched for the five-time champions. They’ve been unable to make the lastfour stage of the tournament. Though the fans still troop to Chepauk on match day just to catch a glimpse of Dhoni hitting a couple of sixes or showing his skill with the gloves, there’s been a growing sense of frustration about the team’s performance.

The move to draft Sanju in was, in fact, a little bit of a desperate move to get CSK’s house in order. They had flirted with a couple of other established Indian names as Dhoni’s longterm wicketkeeper batter replacement in the past years, but those moves hadn’t exactly materialised. Once it was clear after last season that Sanju wanted to leave RR, CSK didn’t want to miss the chance.The Super Kings have been missing the firepower at the top of the order and Samson does solve a few riddles. As per indications, Sanju will open the batting with Ayush Mhatre while skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad will come in at No. 3. The right-hander, whose best year in IPL for Rajasthan Royals was in 2024 when he scored 531 runs at a strike-rate of 153.46, will look to recreate similar magic in his first year for his new franchise.What may just work for Sanju in Chennai is the fact that he will be coming to this IPL as a man free of any burden. For years, he has been trying to prove himself as an international cricketer. In the past, it has always been at the back of his mind that a poor IPL might curtail his India dreams.After the recent heroics in the T20 World Cup, though, those fears would have eased. Sanju has nothing left to prove to cement his India place. Given the nature of his free-flowing batting style, that easing of pressure can give him the freedom to express himself and give CSK those rollicking starts day in and day out.While that’s one part of the deal, the 31-year-old has to take care of the wicketkeeping responsibilities as well. It’s almost an open secret that this will be Dhoni’s last year. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan has indicated that the legend may not be playing all the games.In all probability, Sanju will keep wickets in most of the games, unless of course the team needs Dhoni’s onfield tactical acumen to wriggle out of a tough corner. Sanju, on his part, has already spoken to Dhoni about how to go about the job.“I’ve spoken to Mahi bhai over the phone and interacted with him. Playing with him as part of a team will be great. I see it as an opportunity to learn from him,” Samson told reporters after the World Cup triumph. “Whenever he calls or we meet, there is always something positive to take away. But being with him in a team for two months and seeing first-hand how he approaches cricket and prepares for games will be a huge benefit for me,” Sanju added.Taking over from Dhoni the icon, especially in Chennai, entails going beyond the cricket field. The 42-yearold, over the last two decades, has become a cultural beacon, ‘Thala’ to his legions of fans . To Sanju’s advantage, he already has a strong fan base in the city, courtesy a big Malayali population in Chennai.Many of them used to be Rajasthan Royals fans but have started shifting allegiance now. The fact that Sanju speaks the local language and has been coming to the city since he was kid will help him grow an immediate connection with the Tamil population. But then, to win them over and create an aura that comes close to Dhoni’s will need one crucial component — performance.After the World Cup, there’s a growing belief in Chennai that the mild-mannered cricketer will deliver as expected. The ball is well and truly in Sanju’s court.