Samson on CSK culture

Sanju Samson said his move to Chennai Super Kings changed how he thinks about responsibility, and he traced that shift to values set by M.S. Dhoni. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) In comments published April 21, Samson said Chennai felt like a “star-studded” franchise and that joining it brought “a very different feeling” from earlier stages of his Indian Premier League career. He said the change was noticeable within two weeks of arriving. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Samson said Dhoni’s influence was visible across the dressing room and support staff, describing Chennai’s environment as calm and restrained rather than showy. He said those “base values” shaped how players carried themselves every day. (news18.com) The timing matters because Samson is in his first Chennai season after leaving Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026. Before the tournament, he had already said Dhoni had “always” had a positive influence on him and called the Chennai dressing room a place to learn. (indiatoday.in) Chennai’s season has also put those comments under pressure. The club stood on 4 points from 6 matches with a net run rate of -0.780 in the latest official table, leaving it in the lower half of the standings. (ipl.com) Samson’s own on-field role has made him central to that reset. He scored a century against Delhi Capitals on April 11 as Chennai beat Delhi by 23 runs for its first win of the season, and bowling coach Eric Simons later compared Samson’s calmness to Dhoni’s. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The squad has since taken fresh hits. Opener Ayush Mhatre was ruled out of IPL 2026 with a hamstring injury sustained against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18, with Chennai saying he would need six to 12 weeks of rehabilitation. (indiatvnews.com) That leaves Samson’s description of Chennai as a culture-first team tied to results as much as reputation. In a season with losses and injuries piling up, he said the standard inside the club still starts with Dhoni’s values. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)