{"id":2011,"date":"2026-04-11T19:14:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T19:14:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/samson-hits-115-for-csk-reveals-doubts-after-early-ipl-struggles"},"modified":"2026-04-11T19:14:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T19:14:54","slug":"samson-hits-115-for-csk-reveals-doubts-after-early-ipl-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/samson-hits-115-for-csk-reveals-doubts-after-early-ipl-struggles","title":{"rendered":"Samson Hits 115* for CSK, Reveals Doubts After Early IPL Struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sanju Samson struck an unbeaten 115 off 56 deliveries against Delhi Capitals (DC) as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) marked their IPL 2026 campaign with a winning start. Despite the match-winning hundred, the CSK batter admitted he had \u201ca lot of doubts\u201d in his head after underwhelming returns in his first three league games.<\/p>\n

Samson\u2019s route to the century<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Samson entered the season on the back of three consecutive high scores\u201497 not out, 89 and 89\u2014after which he had played a key role in India\u2019s T20 World Cup success.<\/li>\n
  2. However, his IPL 2026 began on a tough note, with scores of 6, 7 and 9 in his opening matches.<\/li>\n
  3. Speaking after the game at the post-match presentation, Samson said that even success at international level cannot fully erase the uncertainty that comes after early failures.<\/li>\n
  4. He explained that he decided to return to his fundamentals, focusing on his usual approach to scoring rather than overhauling his game in the middle of the season.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u201cTo be very honest, how much form you\u2019re in\u2014even after you\u2019ve won matches for your country\u2014when you get a couple of failures, it definitely puts a lot of doubts in your mind,\u201d Samson said. \u201cBut I just wanted to go back and do my basics, believe in myself, and stick to my scoring patterns. A lot of thoughts came\u2014whether I should go harder at the start, or whether I should change my game plan. In the end, I wanted to keep backing what was working, and luckily it came off beautifully today.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Asked what exactly he changed to start finding runs, Samson said the answer was simple: he retreated to the basics. He also described how the mental side of batting can get pulled in different directions after repeated setbacks.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI have failed a lot, and that tells you how you need to come back,\u201d he said. \u201cMentally you start thinking: do you go a bit harder, or do you change your game plan? Your mind goes here and there. So you need to bring your mind and body back to the basics. I\u2019m 31 years old and I\u2019ve spent a lot of time in this sport, so I need to know what my basics are.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Samson further elaborated on what those basics look like in practice. He spoke about getting mentally into the right mindset and also executing the physical side of batting with clarity.<\/p>\n

    \u201cMy basics are to mentally get in a different zone, and also physically do your basics,\u201d Samson added. \u201cAs a batsman, you need to come back to timing the ball\u2014watching it out of the bowler\u2019s hand, those things. We did some really good sessions a day before with our supporting staff, and I\u2019m very happy it came together nicely today.\u201d<\/p>\n

    New franchise, renewed responsibility<\/h2>\n

    This was Samson\u2019s first season with CSK after the franchise traded him from Rajasthan Royals for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. Samson said he felt a \u201cresponsibility\u201d to repay the faith shown by the trade decision.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe trust they showed in me, having that trade\u2014I felt I needed to put in a show, I needed to stand up and say, okay, we are still in the tournament, and luckily everything came off very nicely,\u201d Samson said.<\/p>\n

    He also insisted that the shift in teams did not feel like a major change in day-to-day environment. Samson described CSK as welcoming and calm, helping him settle quickly even after a difficult start.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt\u2019s not easy to start off the tournament like this in a different franchise,\u201d Samson said. \u201cBut it never felt like it was a different franchise. It\u2019s like coming to another home. People are so sweet, so nice, and everyone is so calm. Even after losing three games in a row, we had a meeting of 50 seconds today. That shows how the franchise is, and it really connects with the person I am. So I\u2019m very happy to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Celebration and dedication to Fleming<\/h2>\n

    Samson marked his hundred by saluting towards the dugout. He said he wanted to dedicate his innings to head coach Stephen Fleming, who had also faced criticism during this period.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThat was for Fleming,\u201d Samson said. \u201cI know how hard it can get. I was leading a franchise for the last five years, I know how mentally challenging it can be, so I just wanted to dedicate this to our coach Fleming.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Sanju Samson struck an unbeaten 115 off 56 deliveries against Delhi Capitals (DC) as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) marked their IPL 2026 campaign with a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Sanju Samson 115* vs DC: IPL 2026 Doubts Cleared","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Sanju Samson\u2019s 115* vs DC sparks CSK\u2019s IPL 2026 win as he admits doubts after early struggles\u2014what changed after his breakout knock?","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\nSanju Samson 115* vs DC: IPL 2026 Doubts Cleared<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sanju Samson\u2019s 115* vs DC sparks CSK\u2019s IPL 2026 win as he admits doubts after early struggles\u2014what changed after his breakout knock?\" 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