Sanju Samson is back! After poor outings for his new franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first three matches of the Indian Premier League 2026 IPL 2026), the Keralam keeper-batter slammed his maiden hundred for CSK and his fourth in the league, rediscovering his touch finally. Samson breached the triple-figure mark in 52 deliveries, of course, after getting some lifelines along the way from a sloppy DC fielding unit.
Samson slams maiden hundred for CSK
Sanju went on to score his 4th IPL hundred off 52 deliveries, striking 14 fours and three sixes. The opener finally managed to deliver on expectations after registering scores of 6, 7, and 9 in the last three games. En route to his century, Samson also went past scoring 400 sixes in T20s during his illustrious career.
Sanju was dropped on 52 runs by Pathum Nissanka, and he made it a point to make the most of it and torment the DC bowlers. His last century in IPL came way back in 2021. Samson’s hundred marks the first in IPL 2026. The batter finished with 115 runs off 56 deliveries at the end of the run-chase, as CSK posted 212/2 at the end of 20 overs.
List of Sanju Samson’s 100s in IPL
- 102 (63) vs RPS, Pune, 2017
102* (55) vs SRH, Hyderabad, 2019
119 (63) vs PBKS, Wankhede, 2021
102* (52) vs DC, Chennai, 2026
Mind you, Sanju had been in phenomenal form in the T20 World Cup 2026 that preceded IPL 2026. Initially, Samson had no idea that he would have a crucial role to play after being snubbed out of the T20 WC opener against the 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 a strike rate of 199.37.
Samson was traded to CSK for a whopping Rs 18 crore from RR, in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. While his performances in the first three games did not justify his price tag, his show on Saturday is an example of why he is one of the best in the business.
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