Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson finally gave Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans the innings they were waiting for in the ongoing IPL 2026. After a poor start to IPL 2026, Sanju Samson came back in style and played one of the best innings of the season so far.
The right-handed batsman was in complete control in Chennai Super Kings’ IPL 2026 clash against Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on April 11. He scored unbeaten 115 runs in 56 balls and gave Chennai Super Kings their first win of the season.
Sanju Samson gives Chennai Super Kings their first win of IPL 2026 with a match-winning century
The way Sanju Samson built his innings was special, because he did not get out right from the beginning. Instead, he took his time, found gaps and played smart shots. He hit 15 fours and 4 sixes, but interestingly, most of his early runs came from boundaries on the ground.
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Once he settled down, he began to attack independently. With this innings, Samson created history for CSK by surpassing MS Dhoni’s previous best score, and became the first regular wicketkeeper to score a century for the team in the IPL.
This century feels a bit special: Sanju Samson
After the match, the Kerala star described his Chepauk century as “special” compared to his other three centuries. “I have scored a few centuries in this format, but this one feels a little special,” Sanju Samson said in a video posted by the IPL on its official website.
Scoring in front of the home crowd in Chepauk. My start was not good, but now I know that I have settled and everything is good. I never wanted to leave the main field and wanted to contribute as much as possible. So, I am very happy.”
Samson silences critics, says he wanted to give something back to CSK
Addressing the criticism and questions raised after his three failures earlier this season, the Kerala star stressed that he never wanted to prove himself to anyone but wanted to give something back to the franchise. It is noteworthy that CSK had traded Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to Rajasthan Royals last year to bring Samson on board.
So, Sanju remained calm, took his time and played as per the situation, adding that he knows how to bounce back after going through ups and downs in his career.
Samson further added, “They have faith in me; they have made their biggest trade ever in IPL history. So, I was like, ‘Okay, Sanju, you have to put your hand up and say, okay, I’m going to win the game for you guys.’ So, that feeling was there. I have failed a lot; I had a lot of failures, so I knew how to bounce back.”
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Sanju Samson praises Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy against DC
He also praised CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy and young bowling attack for restricting Delhi Capitals to 189 runs in 20 overs while defending 212 runs in Chennai. Jamie Overton was the hero for CSK with the ball, completing a match-winning spell of 4/18 from his 4 overs.
Samson said, “I think chasing 210 on a wicket like that – I wasn’t sure about that total. But I think we definitely have a very young bowling unit, but today, the way they bowled and the way Ruturaj led the team, I think hats off to them. It was a great start, so we just have to take advantage from here.”