Sanju Samson’s Presence Will Make A Lot Of Difference For CSK ; No One Knows Rr Better Than Him : Irfan Pathan CSK’s Opening Fixture
JioStar experts shared their thoughts on the Sanju Samson factor for CSK
The Fearless Prodigies, Heavyweights, and Legends of the TATA IPL return, as the schedule for the 2026 edition was announced for the first 20 matches, with defending champions RCB getting their campaign underway at home against SRH on March 28. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘TATA IPL: Schedule Announcement’, JioStar experts Abhinav Mukund, Irfan Pathan, and Sanjay Bangar shared their thoughts on the Sanju Samson factor for CSK, RCB’s opening game, and MI aiming to get off to a winning start.
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘TATA IPL: Schedule Announcement’, JioStar expert Abhinav Mukund highlighted challenges RCB will have to address ahead of their opening game in Bengaluru:
“It’s almost a bit of an unknown for RCB because it is a stadium where they don’t have the best record. Their away record last year was one of those anomalies in the IPL winners’ list itself, where your home record wasn’t as good as the away one. They need to get in sync very quickly. The bigger picture for RCB is that they need to understand and assess the conditions a lot quicker than the other sides because there has been no cricket played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium for the last 8-9 months. Their biggest problem was the lack of home advantage last year. And they are playing some high-flying teams, Sunrisers Hyderabad and the revamped Chennai Super Kings at home. So, it’s going to be a trial by fire for the defending champions. I am sure they have already started preparing for it.”
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘TATA IPL: Schedule Announcement’, JioStar expert Irfan Pathan labelled the clash between MI and RCB as the biggest game among the first 20 matches:
“It is going to be a houseful, and you want to see these superstars. The quality of cricket that you are going to get in this match, in terms of bowling, batting and six-hitting ability, you won’t get to see a bigger match than this. And it is understandable too. Rohit Sharma, the way his form has been for the last two years, has been magnificent. But Virat Kohli, I will be really looking forward to the style and the approach he bats with. He will also be very refreshed. Rajat Patidar’s form has been a bit lean in domestic cricket, but he will now return as an IPL-winning Captain. Jitesh Sharma was left out of the Indian team, but before that, he played some good knocks as well. And then, Bhuvneshwar Kumar in bowling. So, in terms of quality cricket and the atmosphere at the Wankhede Stadium, I think this is the biggest game of the schedule as of now.”
On the Sanju Samson factor in CSK’s opening game against RR:
“Sanju Samson’s presence will make a lot of difference for CSK because no one knows Rajasthan Royals better than him. From that perspective, you will get inside information from Sanju about how that team plays, how they approach the Powerplay, the middle overs, their mindset and even their bowling as well. All the youngsters in Rajasthan Royals have played with and under Sanju, so he will be a huge advantage for CSK, not just in terms of the form he will carry from the T20 World Cup, but the experience of playing in Guwahati will also come in handy for him in the first game. I am very excited to see how CSK are going to fare this season because they have brought in some very exciting young players.”
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘TATA IPL: Schedule Announcement’, JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar expects MI to lean on their terrific record against KKR to get off to a good start:
“MI would definitely want to start on a winning note because they have been slow starters traditionally. They will not want to be in a similar situation. Last year also, they had a turnaround after five or six matches following a poor start. So, you don’t want to leave it so late. Teams always talk about making a statement start, like Royal Challengers Bengaluru had last year. Take the lead and let others follow you. MI would want to have something like that this season because it has been a long title drought, which has now stretched to over five years. So, MI would be keen to change that, and with their in-form Indian players, you would want to start with a win against Kolkata Knight Riders.”
Catch all the action from TATA IPL 2026 March 28 onwards, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network
