Sanju Samson has made a fitting tribute to MS Dhoni – in a bad way. The Keralam keeper-batter, who switched from RR to CSK only recently, was dismissed for 7 runs off 7 deliveries in game number 7 of Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). Now, for all those fans who know, the number 7 has been associated with ‘Thala’ Dhoni owing to his jersey number and with that, regardless of what is the result, ‘Thala for a reason’ has been quipped endlessly by CSK and MSD fans. Well, this time, it isn’t in their favour.
Jokes apart, Samson has failed in his second successive outing for CSK, being dismissed for a single-digit score once again. After his performance in the T20 World Cup 2026, one can only expect Sanju to carry on with the same touch in IPL 2026. However, that is not the case. So far, at least.
Samson fails yet again
It took just 7 deliveries for Punjab Kings (PBKS) to get rid of Samson in their second game of IPL 2026. The Keralam keeper-batter started his innings by scoring 3 runs off Arshdeep Singh in the very first over – a shot which was meant to reach the boundary but was denied as Shashank did a good job at the boundary ropes. Next, Sanju struck a four off Xavier Bartlett’s penultimate delivery in the 2nd over. And that was all he could manage. In the very next delivery, Sanju was caught behind by Prabhsimran Singh after the delivery edged his willow and an easy catch was taken by the PBKS keeper, bringing his stay in the middle to an end.
Sanju Samson IPL stats in Chepauk
- Inns: 6
Runs: 66
Avg: 11.0
SR: 100
Sanju has seen many ups and downs over the last year. After recording a unique feat by becoming the only Indian to record three hundreds in a calendar year, he lost his opening spot to Shubman Gill during the Asia Cup 2025. He then found his way back into the team in the series against New Zealand before the T20 WC, where he failed as well. However, he was picked in the squad for the marquee event.
Samson had no idea that he would have a crucial role to play after being snubbed out of the T20 WC opener against USA. He fared rather poorly in the game against Namibia and Zimbabwe, registering scores of 22 and 24. However, it was during the knockout stages and crucial matches where Samson proved his worth. His match-winning knocks of 97*, 89 and 89 against West Indies (in Super 8), England (in the semi-final) and New Zealand (in the final) propelled him to being named the Player of the Series, with 321 runs to his name from 5 innings, averaging 80.25 and boasting of a strike rate of 199.37.
However, his debut for CSK in IPL 2026 wasn’t befitting of his stature. He departed after scoring just 6 runs in the first game against his former franchise RR. And the same form spilt over to the second game as well.
Cricket
Sanju Samson fails yet again, T20 World Cup heroics shadowed by another flop in IPL 2026 for CSK
