Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 12 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan said that the presence of recently-crowned T20 World Cup 'Player of the Tournament' Sanju Samson will make a lot of difference for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during their campaign opener against Rajasthan Royals (RR) since they will get a lot of information from the ex RR player about a lot of things.

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2026, in one of the biggest trades in the tournament's history, Samson was traded from RR to CSK and will don the yellow colours at the price of Rs 18 crores. In turn, Sam Curran and seasoned all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja were traded to the inaugural champions. While Jadeja's price will go down from Rs 18 crores (at CSK) to Rs 14 crores, Curran will continue receiving his existing fee of Rs 2.4 crores.

Speaking on JioStar's 'TATA IPL: Schedule Announcement', Pathan said on how much of a factor Samson could be in the clash against RR scheduled for March 30, 'Samson's presence will make a lot of difference for CSK because no one knows the Rajasthan Royals better than him. From that perspective, you will get inside information from Sanju about how that team plays, how they approach the powerplay, the middle overs, their mindset and even their bowling as well.'

'All the youngsters in Rajasthan Royals have played with and under Sanju, so he will be a huge advantage for CSK, not just in terms of the form he will carry from the T20 World Cup, but the experience of playing in Guwahati will also come in handy for him in the first game. I am very excited to see how CSK are going to fare this season because they have brought in some very exciting young players,' he added.

Samson had been the face of Rajasthan Royals for more than a decade, representing the franchise in 11 seasons. Having joined RR in 2013, he quickly became one of their key players and was retained ahead of the 2014 season, at just 19 years old.

After RR's two-year suspension (2016-17), Samson returned in 2018 and took over the captaincy in 2021. Under his leadership and with the guidance of team director Kumar Sangakkara, RR reached the IPL final in 2022, their first appearance since winning the inaugural edition in 2008.

Samson led the team in 67 matches, winning and losing 33 each. He had his best IPL season in 2024, scoring 531 runs at an average of 48.27 and a strike rate of 153.47, with five fifties. He was retained for Rs 18 crore ahead of the 2025 season, but a side injury midway through the campaign ruled him out of the second half of the tournament, as RR's form collapsed, leading to a series of close losses. The team finished ninth out of ten. In the 2025 season, Samson scored 285 runs in nine innings at an average of above 35 and a strike rate of above 140, with a fifty to his name.

During the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Samson also represented the Delhi Capitals (DC).

The star wicketkeeper is RR's top run-getter across the IPL and Champions League T20, with 4,219 runs in 155 matches and 150 innings at an average of 31.96, strike rate of above 140, with two centuries and 26 innings.

Pathan also said that the match between five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Mumbai, scheduled for April 12 will also be the biggest match amongst the first 20 matches announced for the tournament.

'It is going to be a houseful, and you want to see these superstars. The quality of cricket that you are going to get in this match, in terms of bowling, batting and six-hitting ability, you won't get to see a bigger match than this. And it is understandable too. Rohit Sharma, the way his form has been for the last two years, has been magnificent,' he said.

'But Virat Kohli, I will be really looking forward to the style and the approach he bats with. He will also be very refreshed. Rajat Patidar's form has been a bit lean in domestic cricket, but he will now return as an IPL-winning Captain. Jitesh Sharma was left out of the Indian team, but before that, he played some good knocks as well. And then, Bhuvneshwar Kumar in bowling. So, in terms of quality cricket and the atmosphere at the Wankhede Stadium, I think this is the biggest game of the schedule as of now,' he added.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced the schedule for the first phase of the IPL 2026, to be played from March 28 to April 12, 2026.

As three states are scheduled to undergo State Assembly elections during this period, the full schedule of the tournament will be announced once the poll dates are announced.

The 19th edition of the biggest T20 league on the globe will commence when defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) host Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

During this period, the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST. Following the opening encounter on Saturday, the Mumbai Indians will take on the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.

The first double-header of the season will take place on April 4, 2026, when Delhi Capitals face Mumbai Indians in the afternoon match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, followed by Gujarat Titans taking on Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. (ANI)