MS Dhoni comparison for Sanju Samson! CSK coach makes big statement after first IPL 2026 win

Sanju Samson returned to form with a hundred as Chennai Super Kings beat Delhi Capitals by 23 runs to record their first win of IPL 2026 in Chennai on Saturday.

"I've had the privilege to spend many years playing, being involved with Dhoni, he's one of the calmest cricketers I've ever come across. And Sanju Samson's not far behind that, he just understands the game from that perspective, I've seen no panic, no sense of practising more, doing more, maybe even less," Simons said in the post-match press conference, as cited by news agency ANI.

After three low scores for his IPL team, Samson responded with a hundred against Delhi Capitals in Chennai. It was Samson’s fourth IPL hundred, his first for CSK and the first of IPL 2026. He reached the century in 52 balls. He also went past MS Dhoni’s record for the highest score by a designated CSK wicketkeeper in the IPL, which was 84 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019.

Simons said a player of Samson’s level will come out of a lean phase. He added that there was no doubt about Samson’s ability and that players need to trust their skills, stay confident and be patient.

"When you've got the class of a player like him, you know it's just temporary if you have a bad run of form and sometimes it's about luck, he got a great delivery from (Nandre) Burger at one game, it's just the way it goes, one ball goes for four to the boundary, he edges one, he gets caught, so there was never any doubt that this was coming and I think the mindset of a cricketer of his stature is important, you've just got to keep trusting him, believing in your quality and certainly he's got that sort of an abundance," Simons added.

Samson became the first batter in IPL history to score centuries for three teams after his first hundred for CSK.

He scored 115 not out off 56 balls, with 11 fours and four sixes, at a strike rate of 205.36. Of his four IPL hundreds, two came for Rajasthan Royals in 2019 and 2021, and one for Delhi Capitals in 2017.

Samson also reached 400 sixes in T20s, becoming the fourth Indian to do so after Rohit Sharma (554), Virat Kohli (441) and Suryakumar Yadav (442). He now has 401 sixes in the format.