IPL 2026 | Sanju Samson’s symphony: CSK opener’s ton vs MI shows he’s playing to team’s tune

MUMBAI: One clear shift in Sanju Samson’s approach since the T20 World Cup has been his calm composure and improved game awareness. A year ago, that wasn’t the case as he often tried to hit his way out of trouble rather than bide his time, an approach that ultimately cost him a place in the Indian XI.

When Samson was handed another opportunity midway through the World Cup, he seized it with both hands, finishing with three consecutive fifties and playing a crucial role in India retaining the title.

He has carried that form into the IPL and is on his way to being adored by Chen-nai Super Kings fans, who have admired MS Dhoni for years now. The ‘Yellow Army’ waited with bated breath to witness the Samson magic ever since his trade from Rajasthan Royals was announced. However, the initiation was a difficult one, with Samson starting his CSK sojourn with three single-digit scores.

Then came the innings everyone had been craving for, an unbeaten 115 off 56 balls against the Delhi Capitals, fittingly on home turf.

The distance between the MA Chidambaram Stadium and the Wankhede is around 1,300 km but the passion felt identical, with nearly as many CSK fans cheering Samson on. The 31-year-old acknowledged after the match that he had “never seen so much yellow at the Wankhede in my life”.

Adulation aside, Samson’s second century in four innings — an unbeaten 101 off 54 balls — proved crucial in helping CSK set MI a daunting target of 208. While Samson was building his innings at one end, MI were chipping away at the other. He began aggressively, striking at over 200, but with wickets falling around him, Samson recognized the need to anchor the innings and pick his moments.

The right-hander’s ton was also a first for a CSK player against MI. At the same time, Samson has moved alongside Rohit Sharma in secondplace for the most T20 centuries by an Indian with eight hundreds. “The game tells you what to do. You don’t have to come with a preconceived mindset,” Samson said.

“With my experience, the team definitely comes first. It’s my responsibility to understand the situation, what the team demands and then plan my game around it. If we hadn’t lost a lot of wickets, I’d have gone a bit harder earlier. But after the fall of wickets, it was very important for us to close off the innings well,” he added.