Sanju Samson returned to the ground where he once struck 89 against England in the T20 World Cup semi-final, but this time the spotlight was on his first “El Clásico” outing in IPL cricket. On Thursday, he put the Chennai Super Kings innings on his shoulders and struck an unbeaten 101 off 54 balls, driving the visitors to 207 for 6 in 20 overs.
The knock carried a sense of correction for Samson. He arrived in CSK’s setup as a long-term option after MS Dhoni, a successor role Chennai has been working to lock down. Yet in the early stretch of the season, the India wicketkeeper-batter couldn’t quite find his rhythm, scoring only 22 runs across his first three IPL innings.
Quick facts
- Sanju Samson made 101* off 54 balls for CSK against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium.
- CSK posted 207/6 in 20 overs.
- Samson previously scored 89 vs England in the T20 World Cup semi-final at the same venue.
- Before this breakthrough, Samson managed 22 runs in his first three IPL innings.
- He later hit an unbeaten 115 vs Delhi Capitals at Chepauk.
- He also made 48 vs Kolkata Knight Riders in another CSK win.
- This run included two IPL centuries in a single season for the first time in his career.
- The century ended on the final ball, with a boundary off Krish Bhagat.
- It was Samson’s fifth IPL century, taking him level with KL Rahul for fourth on the all-time list.
- Overall, it lifted his T20 century count to eight.
Samson acknowledged that the pressure wasn’t just about performance—it was also about expectation. With the franchise investing in him as Dhoni’s potential successor, and with continued backing from the management, he felt a strong need to justify the faith. That urgency translated into a sharper focus in training, bringing his game back to fundamentals.
The results arrived quickly and with authority. He powered CSK’s first win of the season with an unbeaten century of 115 against Delhi Capitals at Chepauk. Shortly after, he backed it up with a 48 in a win over Kolkata Knight Riders, keeping CSK’s momentum moving.
Two centuries, one season
Just over a week later, Samson delivered his second IPL century of the season—an innings packed with 10 fours and six sixes. It marked the first time in his IPL career that he managed to hit two centuries within the same campaign.
For Chennai, the impact was clear: Samson once again fought much of the battle on his own. While other batters struggled with shot selection and a lack of application, wickets kept falling around him. He stayed composed, paced his innings expertly, and played each delivery with intent to turn pressure into a match-defining total.
The finish was cinematic as well. His century was completed off the last ball of the innings, finding a boundary against Krish Bhagat. As Samson soaked in the cheers from CSK supporters at Wankhede, the moment drew immediate attention from fellow stars—Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav all rushed in to acknowledge the achievement.
It also added another layer to CSK’s record book. Samson became only the second CSK batter to register two IPL centuries in a single season, following Shane Watson’s feat in 2018. He is now the fourth player for Chennai overall to collect multiple IPL hundreds, joining Murali Vijay and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
On the broader IPL milestones, this knock was his fifth century—moving him level with KL Rahul for fourth place in the all-time standings. The list sits behind Virat Kohli (9), Jos Buttler (7), and Chris Gayle (6). The innings also increased his overall T20 century tally to eight, matching Rohit Sharma among Indian batters, with Kohli and Abhishek ahead of him.
