'He's backbone now': Ruturaj Gaikwad credits Sanju Samson for CSK's late-season revival

CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has heaped his praise on Sanju Samson, after his match winning knock of unbeaten 87 runs where he shared a 114 runs partnership with Kartik Sharma to secure 8 wicket win against Delhi Capitals in Delhi.

Sanju Samson is playing in IPL 2026 after a historic Rs 18 crore trade from Rajasthan Royals. He is among the top five run-scorers this season, consistently in the contention the Orange Cap race with 402 runs in 10 matches at an average of 57.42. In his yesterday's match against Delhi Capitals, he smashed an unbeaten 87 off 52 balls which earned him the Player of the Match. He also scripted history and became the the first batter ever to be part of two hundred-plus partnerships against the Delhi Capitals in a single edition of the tournament.

He scored his first hundred of the season (115*) against Delhi Capitals in Chennai and a second (101) against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. During the April 2026 match against Kolkata Knight Riders, he surpassed the 5,000-run mark in his IPL career.

After Sanju Samson's match winning knock against Delhi Capitals, CSK captain backed him as the backbone of the team;

''Yes, definitely. On the batting side, I would say, I mean, more than grateful to have Sanju in the side after the tournament he had even in the World Cup and even now. So obviously he's backbone now,'' Ruturaj Gaikwad in post match conference.

CSK alive in playoffs race

Chennai Super Kings kept their playoff hopes alive with a commanding eight-wicket win over Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in IPL 2026. After restricting DC to 155/7 on a sluggish pitch through disciplined bowling from Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad, CSK chased down the target comfortably in 17.3 overs.

Despite some resistance from Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs, Delhi collapsed to 69/5 and never recovered. In reply, Sanju Samson starred with an unbeaten 87 off 52 balls, while Kartik Sharma supported him brilliantly in an unbroken 114-run partnership. The victory lifted CSK to fifth place in the standings, while DC moved closer to elimination.