IPL 2026: Sanju Samson suffers his third successive failure
What's the story
Sanju Samson, a key player in India's T20 World Cup 2026 victory, has been struggling with his form in the ongoing 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). Since joining Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from Rajasthan Royals (RR), he has failed to deliver. His poor performance at the top of the order has contributed to CSK losing three consecutive matches. In three games so far, Samson has only managed scores of 6, 7, and 9 runs, respectively. Here are further details.
Performance analysis
Struggling to make an impact in IPL 2026
Samson managed to score just six runs in his first game for CSK, against Rajasthan Royals, after a high-profile trade from RR. The opener again perished for a paltry score of seven in his next outing against Punjab Kings. In his latest outing, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday, Samson was out for nine. His failure meant CSK failed to chase down a massive target of 251 runs.
Fan reactions
Fans baffled by Samson's poor form
Fans and experts are baffled by Samson's poor form with the bat, especially since he had performed so well in the T20 World Cup for India. The wicketkeeper-batter bagged the Player-of-the-Tournament award with three back-to-back scores of 85-plus. However, his lack of runs at the top has been a major concern for CSK this season. The franchise is yet to win a match and is currently sitting at the bottom of the table without any points.
Trade
Samson's history with RR
CSK, who finished last in IPL 2025, traded out prominent all-rounders Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja to acquire Samson from Rajasthan Royals for ₹18 crore. Notably, Samson was RR's designated captain from the 2021 to the 2025 season. Overall, he represented the franchise across 11 seasons. Samson's brilliant run at the 2026 T20 WC ignited high hopes among CSK fans. However, the dasher is yet to make an impact.
Career
Here are his IPL stats
Last season, Samson became the first player to score 4,000 runs for Rajasthan Royals in IPL history, as per ESPNcricinfo. He played 149 matches for the franchise and scored 4,027 runs at an average of 31.70 with a strike rate of 141.24. The tally includes two centuries and 23 fifties. Overall, he now boasts 4,726 runs from 180 IPL games at 30.49 (SR: 138.91). This includes 29 scores of 50 or more, including three tons.