Kamal Ghorui
Sanju Samson roared back to form with a stunning century for Chennai Super Kings against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026, marking a decisive return to rhythm after a slow start to his new franchise career. After being traded from Rajasthan Royals to CSK, Samson had endured a difficult beginning to the season, failing to reach double figures in his first three outings. But in his fourth match, he produced a statement knock that reminded everyone of his class and consistency. Walking in after the early loss of Ruturaj Gaikwad in the powerplay, Samson anchored the innings brilliantly and stitched a crucial 113-run partnership with young Ayush Mhatre, who made 59 before being retired out as CSK pushed for acceleration. Samson batted with fluency and control throughout, surviving a reprieve on 52 before making DC pay in style. He brought up a superb century, his fourth in the IPL, and paced his innings with authority against both pace and spin. Coming into the season after a standout campaign that saw him win Player of the Tournament honours in the T20 World Cup, expectations were high, and Samson finally delivered on them with a commanding knock. The milestone also saw him reach 400 sixes in T20 cricket, becoming only the fourth Indian to achieve the feat after Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Suryakumar Yadav. Samson’s IPL centuries now read: 102 vs RPS (Pune, 2017), 102* vs SRH (Hyderabad, 2019), 119 vs PBKS (Wankhede, 2021), and 102* vs DC (Chennai, 2026). This innings also marked only the second IPL century by a CSK batter against Delhi Capitals, after Murali Vijay’s 113 in 2012.
