Sanju Samson made a remarkable comeback, as he hit a match-winning century that turned the ongoing IPL 2026 season around for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Sanju Samson played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 115 off just 56 balls in a high-pressure clash against Delhi Capitals on April 11.
The experienced wicketkeeper-batter’s stunning efforts helped Chennai Super Kings beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by 23 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to register their first win of the ongoing IPL 2026 after a disappointing start.
Sanju Samson’s century rescues CSK in IPL 2026 after tough start
They had faced three straight defeats before the Chepauk turnaround. However, Samson’s journey with Chennai Super Kings has not started smoothly. He had failed badly in the first three matches, scoring 6, 7, and 9, and questions were already being raised about his form.
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But he stuck to his natural game, and now that patience paid off in the biggest way. Samson admitted that the early failures created doubts in his mind. After coming off a strong T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, where he was Player of the Tournament, the Kerala star expected a good start with the CSK, but three poor scores made him question his approach.
Failures definitely put a lot of doubts in mind: Samson
The right-handed batter revealed that he even thought about changing his game plan, but eventually, he decided to trust his basics instead of overthinking and backed his natural batting style. And the result was amazing against the DC, as he was happy with how the things unfolded.
Sanju Samson said at the post-match presentation as quoted by ESPNCricinfo: “To be very honest, how much form you’re in, however many matches you have won for your country, and a couple of failures definitely put a lot of doubts in your mind.
But I just wanted to go back and do my basics and believe in myself and just stick to my scoring patterns. So, a lot of thoughts came. Should I go harder at the start or should I change my game plan? But I wanted to stick to what was working, and luckily, it came off beautifully today.”
Sanju Samson calls Chennai Super Kings “Another Home”
This is Samson’s first season with CSK after a historic trade move from Rajasthan Royals, where he had spent many years. Despite the change, he said it never felt like a new environment, as the team welcomed him warmly. Sanju also praised the calm atmosphere inside the CSK camp.
The Indian wicketkeeper added, “It’s not easy to start off the tournament like this in a different franchise, but it never felt like it was a different franchise. I think it’s like coming to another home. I think people are so sweet, so nice, and everyone is so calm.”
Sanju Samson hails CSK’s calm dressing room culture
Samson shared that even after losing three matches, the team stayed relaxed and focused, and they had a short meeting before the DC match that helped the players stay focused instead of overthinking and brought everyone together.
The Kerala star signed off by saying, “Even after losing three games in a row, we just had a meeting of 50 seconds today. That shows how the franchise is, and that really connects with the person I am. So very happy to be here.”
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