India, April 5 -- Sanju Samson's start at Chennai Super Kings has been underwhelming on the numbers, but Irfan Pathan believes the franchise's long-term thinking around him remains unchanged. Samson, traded from Rajasthan Royals to CSK ahead of IPL 2026 at his existing league fee of INR 18 crore, has made only 13 runs in his first two innings for the five-time champions.

CSK have lost both their opening matches, which has only sharpened the focus on their next game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. With Bengaluru traditionally offering better batting conditions than Chennai, the fixture arrives as a significant early-season test for both Samson and CSK.

Speaking ahead of the marquee clash, Patha...