'Destiny Has Got Me To Come And...': Sanju Samson Expresses Excitement On Playing With MS Dhoni After Joining CSK

IPL 2026: Sanju Samson expressed his excitement as he is all set to share the dressing room with MS Dhoni, having joined the Chennai Super Kings from the Rajasthan Royals through a high-profile trade deal ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.

Ahead of the season, CSK have released an interview with Samson in which he spoke about his deep admiration for the legendary skipper Dhoni and talked about the manifestation of their upcoming first meeting. He also noted how the latter is mobbed by fans, making it hard to find a moment to interact with him.

"There’s one person there, everyone knows him. The person is called MS Dhoni. I first met him when I was 19 and got selected in the Indian team for the first time. I went for a UK tour and Mahi Bhai was the captain," Samson said.

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Notably, the 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batter joined CSK in a high-value Rs 18 crore deal."I saw him for the first time and interacted with him for 10-20 days. After that, I used to see him during the IPL. There will always be a crowd in front of him. Five people here, 10 people there," Samson said.

"I used to think, ‘ OK, I can’t meet him here, I will have to meet him separately," Samson added.

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Samson went on to acknowledge how fortunate he is going to be, sharing a dressing room with Dhoni and said that he is thrilled to have the opportunity to be around him. "I had such a desire. Destiny has got me to come and play with him in one dressing room. That couple of months. I am very excited to meet and interact with him. Sit and have breakfast with him, practice with him, play with him," Samson said.

CSK have been one of the most successful franchises in IPL history with five titles under their belt, all coming under Dhoni's captaincy. Talking about Dhoni, he captained the side last year as CSK finished last in the IPL 2025 points table in the absence of regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. Amid all the speculations after Samson's signing, CSK confirmed that Ruturaj will continue to lead the team in the IPL 2026.

Samson has been a remarkable batter in the IPL over the past few years and has 4707 runs to his name in 176 career matches at an average of 30.75 on the back of 26 fifties and three centuries.