Dil Se Re — ‘Sanju, this is for you,’ says AR Rahman

Sanju Samson and M S Dhoni (PC- CSK/X)

“Sanju, this is for you,” said the great AR Rahman, as he crooned Dil Se Re at Chennai Super Kings’ ‘Roar 26’ at Chepauk on Sunday. The franchise’s OG squad assembled, five IPL trophies and two Champions League trophies were paraded, and a glorious past was celebrated before moving on to the present.

MS Dhoni was the face of CSK’s past achievements that set the benchmark for the other franchises in the IPL. Sanju Samson, acquired for Rs 18 crore from Rajasthan Royals in a close-season trade, is going to be the frontman of the team’s present and the future. Even the diehard CSK fans know this. The biggest cheers on the night were reserved for the 2026 T20 World Cup’s Player of the Tournament.

CSK made the playoffs in every IPL season until 2019. The next six seasons saw them reach the last-four only twice. Belatedly it dawned on the CSK management that something’s got to give. The process started last term. The five-time champions are going into this year’s IPL with probably their youngest-ever squad. It’s time to reboot.

Sanju will have a pivotal role to play in the next phase of the team’s journey. He is stepping into the shoes of CSK’s biggest icon. It’s a heavy cross to bear. But as the T20 World Cup showed, Sanju revels under pressure. “Winning the World Cup for the country is something I had dreamed of for many years,” Sanju said yesterday. “I’m glad that I was able to contribute. Now, I’m excited and looking forward to the next couple of months in the IPL with my new team, CSK. My approach would be simple — see the ball and hit the ball. I will look to hit a lot of sixes and lift the trophy.” The little man brought the house down.

Sanju’s IPL career strike-rate is 139.05 over 177 matches. Over the last couple of years, however, someone seems to have flicked a switch. The Indian team set-up, the team philosophy, and the assurances from captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir, has helped the 31-year-old take his game to the next level. The T20 World Cup was his crowning glory, where Sanju scored 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike-rate of 199.37. As things stand, CSK’s decision to go for a swap deal, with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran moving to Royals, feels like a masterstroke. Parting ways with Jadeja was significant. CSK were ready to roll over the past and usher in a new era.

A certain template had served the team wonderfully well — a slow-burn batting approach followed by Dhoni’s famed spin-choke. But T20 is the fastest-evolving format in cricket and the game has changed drastically over the last two years. The nature of the pitches at Chepauk has changed as well. CSK have fallen by the wayside.

In pursuit of a new dawn, CSK have chosen to embrace modernity where Sanju would lead from the front. But where does that leave the team’s ‘Thala’? That’s for another day.

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The post Dil Se Re — ‘Sanju, this is for you,’ says AR Rahman appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.



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