New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are set to open theirIPL 2026 campaign against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on March 30 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Ahead of the tournament opener, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad revealed big changes in their batting order.

Speaking on the sidelines of the IPL captains’ day event, Gaikwad revealed that Ayush Mhatre will not be opening for the franchise in the upcoming season. The CSK captain revealed that he will open the innings alongside the newly signed Sanju Samson.

From the skipper himself 👀@Ruutu1331 reveals CSK’s opening pair at #CaptainsDay 🏏#TATAIPL 2026 👉 Starts 28 Mar, 5:30 PM pic.twitter.com/xOhS4GOmUC

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia)

This will be a massive change for the five-time champions, who had shown trust in the youngster Ayush Mhatre to provide quick starts last season. The Chennai-based franchise went through multiple batting order changes in their disappointing 2025 season.

They removed Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, and Deepak Hooda from their squad and brought in some young, talented players like Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis.

Both players had an incredible season with CSK and provided some aggressive intent to the franchise. Brevis is expected to bat No.4/5 this season, and Mhatre might have to drop down to No.3 to accommodate the T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament, Sanju Samson.

Earlier, former CSK bowler Ravichandran Ashwin also said he wanted Ruturaj Gaikwad to open with Sanju Samson as they can score quality runs and can sustain that for a period of time.

“For me, I would love to see both of them go hammer and tongs at the opening slot. Both of them have different strengths. One is a caresser of the ball, while the other guy hits it hard, so both of those qualities are there. So I will look at it in that fashion that I have two good openers,” said Ashwin on his YouTube Channel.

The season will start with the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 28.