Wankhede Stadium witnessed fireworks as Sanju Samson, CSK’s explosive opener, carved out an unbeaten 101 from 54 deliveries against Mumbai Indians on Thursday. Adorned with 10 boundaries and 6 maximums, it marked his second IPL 2026 century, vaulting him alongside Rohit Sharma with 8 T20 centuries each.
Across formats, Samson’s haul includes 5 IPL specials and 3 T20I gems. He ties KL Rahul for fourth in IPL centuries, trailing the elite trio of Kohli, Buttler, and Gayle. Notably, he’s the pioneer CSK player to century against MI, echoing Watson’s dual-ton season in 2018.
Opting to field, MI watched CSK amass 207/6. Gaikwad’s 22 off 14 opened with Samson, followed by handy partnerships. The climax arrived in Krish Bhagat’s final over: sixes on balls 1 and 4, a four on the last to reach three figures.
Samson’s journey from Rajasthan Royals to CSK has been transformative. His aggressive strokeplay dismantled MI’s attack, including cameos from Karthik Sharma (18). As IPL 2026 heats up, this performance underscores his evolution into a consistent big-match player.
Team Lineups:
MI: de Kock (wk), Dhir, SKY, Pandya (c), Varma, Rutherford, Santner, Bumrah, Bhagat, Gajnaf, Kumar.
CSK: Samson (wk), Gaikwad (c), Sarfaraz, Brevis, Dube, Karthik, Overton, Noor, Kamboj, Gurjapneet, Choudhary.
Samson’s record-breaking spree promises more drama in the season ahead.
