Sanju Samson has done it yet again! Multiple times in the past, the Keralam keeper-batter has shined with the bat, only to falter after that, casting a negative impression on him. It remains the same to date. After winning the Player of the Tournament award in the T20 World Cup 2026, thanks to his exceptional performances in the knockout stages, Samson has flopped thus far in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026).
After spending years with Rajasthan Royals (RR), Sanju was traded to CSK for a whooping Rs 18 crore ahead of IPL 2026. His arrival was greeted with much hype, given his recent prowess in white-ball cricket and his vast experience in the IPL, both as a captain and a batter. However, he has failed to live up to his reputation so far in the three games that he has played for the five-time champions.
Sanju Samson goes from being hit to super flop
Sanju Samson has had a year filled with ups and downs so far. After finishing as the only Indian batter with three T20I centuries in the previous calendar year, the keeper-batter lost his role as India opener to Shubman Gill before the Asia Cup 2025. Thereafter, he was forced to bat down the order at a position which he was unfamiliar with, while the team backed Jitesh Sharma as the first-choice wicketkeeper. He had a poor series against New Zealand prior to the T20 World Cup but was then picked in the squad for the marquee tournament.
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.
While one would have expected Samson’s red-hot form to spill into the IPL as well, that hasn’t been the case so far. In his maiden outing for CSK, Sanju managed to score just 6 runs off 7 deliveries against his former franchise RR. In the next game vs PBKS, he was dismissed for just 7 off 7 deliveries. And against RCB, Sanju managed to score just 9 runs. On all three occasions, the Keralam star was sent packing within the powerplay. He averages just 22 from 3 matches for CSK in IPL, a figure that is not befitting of his ability with the bat, especially after his heroics in the T20 WC.
Cricket
Tracing Sanju Samson's downfall: India's T20 World Cup hero turns into CSK's zero in just two weeks
