Sanju Samson, Chennai Super Kings player (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
Sanju Samson returned to form with a stunning century for Chennai Super Kings against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026, marking a crucial return to rhythm after a slow start to his new franchise career. After being traded from Rajasthan Royals to CSK, Samson endured a difficult start to the season, failing to reach double figures in his first three matches.
But in his fourth match, he delivered a powerful blow that reminded everyone of his class and tenacity. Coming in after the early loss of Ruturaj Gaikwad in the powerplay, Samson stabilized the innings brilliantly and forged a crucial 113-run partnership with youngster Ayush Mhatre, who made 59 before being retired as CSK pressed for acceleration. Samson fought with fluency and control throughout, surviving a reprieve in 52 before pushing DC in style.
He brought up a brilliant century, his fourth in the Indian Premier League, and paced his innings strongly against both pace and spin. Coming into the season after a standout campaign that saw him win the Player of the Tournament award in the T20 World Cup, expectations were high, and Samson has finally delivered on them with a powerful knock. The feat also saw him reach 400 sixes in T20 cricket, becoming the fourth Indian to achieve the feat yet
Rohit Sharma
,
Virat Kohli
And Suryakumar Yadav.
Samson’s IPL centuries are now reading: 102 vs. RPS (Pune, 2017), 102* vs. SRH (Hyderabad, 2019), 119 vs. PBKS (Wankhead, 2021), and 102* vs. DC (Chennai, 2026).Samson is now the only batsman to have scored hundreds for three different IPL franchises, including Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), RR, and CSK. This innings also marks only the second IPL century by a CSK bat against Delhi Capitals, after Murali Vijay’s 113 in 2012.