Krishnamachari Srikkanth's stern warning to Punjab Kings in IPL 2026; ‘same wicket where Sanju Samson made a comeback’

After a single digit score in his opening outing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth has weighed on Sanju Samson to make a comeback at Chepauk, the same venue where he made a comeback in the T20 World Cup 2026 during India's triumphant campaign last month.

Samson, who played for Rajasthan Royals for 12 seasons in IPL and even led the franchise, moved to CSK just before IPL 2026 in one of the high-profile trade deals that also saw the duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran move to the Jaipur-based side. However, Samson stumbled at the start of his journey at CSK during their IPL 2026 opener against his former side.

Opening the innings with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, Samson managed to play just seven balls for his six runs, before was cleaned up by South African Nandre Burger. Srikkanth emphasized on the Samson's familiarity with Chepauk urged the wicketkeeper-batter to take some time initially in the middle before playing his shots.

“It is the same wicket at Chepauk where Sanju Samson made a comeback in the T20 World Cup and won the Man of the Series,” Srikkanth said in his YouTube channel. "He is definitely going to play a smashing knock. It's the ideal wicket for him to come back to royal form.

“Sanju should go berserk after watching the initial four to five deliveries. I believe he will smash PBKS,” added the former India cricketer, who was a part of the historic 1983 World Cup-winning side.