Sanju Samson hammers his third 80-plus score of IPL 2026
What's the story
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) secured an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) in their IPL 2026 clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The win was spearheaded by a stellar performance from Sanju Samson, who scored an unbeaten 87 off just 52 balls. His innings helped CSK chase down the target of 156 with ease, finishing the game with 15 balls to spare. Here we look at Samson's stunning performance and stats.
Knock
A fine hand from Samson
CSK's chase began with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad getting out cheaply for just six runs. Urvil Patel chipped in with a quickfire 17 before being dismissed. Samson then took center stage with another blistering half-century, leading the chase with an aggressive approach. He kept the asking rate in check with a barrage of boundaries. Kartik Sharma (41*) provided good support to Samson's explosive innings. The duo's unbeaten 114-run partnership ensured CSK cruised past the target comfortably.
Stats
Samson completes 400 runs in IPL 2026
Samson scored 87* off just 52 balls, hitting seven fours and six sixes along the way. This was his third 80-plus score of the season, as he has also tallied two hundreds. His IPL 2026 tally now reads 402 runs from 10 games at 57.42 (SR: 167.50). As per Cricbuzz, he has overall completed 5,106 runs across 187 IPL matches at 32.11. This was his 27th fifty (100s: 5). 620 of his runs have come against DC at 44.28 (50s: 3, 100: 1).
Feat
Third batter with this feat
Samson made an unbeaten 115 in the earlier CSK-DC game this season. With this, he became just the third batter to aggregate 200-plus runs (202) against an opponent in the league stage of an IPL edition. He has joined Virat Kohli (209 vs Gujarat Lions in 2016) and KL Rahul (206 vs Mumbai Indians in 2022). Meanwhile, Samson now owns 8,802 runs in T20s from 340 matches at 31.1. This was his 55th T20 fifty (100s: 5).
Information
Information
Meanwhile, Kartik's unbeaten 41 off 31 balls was studded with four fours and two sixes. Playing in his maiden IPL campaign, the 20-year-old youngster has raced to 157 runs from seven games at 30.60 (SR: 127.49). Kartik's maiden IPL fifty came in his last outing, against Mumbai Indians. He had made an unbeaten 54 off 40 balls.