Sanju Samson made a remarkable comeback as he scored a match-winning century that changed the ongoing IPL 2026 season for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Sanju Samson played a brilliant unbeaten 115 off just 56 balls in a high-pressure clash against Delhi Capitals on April 11.

The experienced wicketkeeper-batsman’s impressive efforts helped Chennai Super Kings beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by 23 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to register their first win of the ongoing IPL 2026 after a disappointing start.

Sanju Samson’s century rescues CSK in IPL 2026 after rocky start

They had faced three straight losses before Chepauk’s turnaround. However, Samson’s journey with Chennai Super Kings did not begin without problems. He had failed miserably in the first three games, scoring 6, 7 and 9, and doubts were already being raised about his form.

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But he stayed true to his natural game, and now that patience has paid off in a big way. Samson admitted that the first failures created doubts in him. After a solid campaign in the T20 World Cup 2026, in which he was Player of the Tournament, the Kerala star was hoping for a good start with CSK, but three poor results made him question his approach.

Failures definitely raise a lot of doubts: Samson

The right-handed batsman revealed that he even thought about changing his game plan but ultimately decided to trust his basics instead of overthinking and backed his natural batting style. And the result was surprising to DC, as they were happy with how things turned out.

Sanju Samson said in the post-match presentation as quoted by ESPNCricinfo: “To be very honest, the form you are in, the number of matches you have won for your country and a couple of failures definitely gives you a lot of doubts.

But I just wanted to go back and do the basics, believe in myself and stick to my scoring patterns. Then many thoughts arose. Should I try harder at first or should I change my game plan? But I wanted to continue with what was working and, fortunately, today went very well.”

Sanju Samson calls Chennai Super Kings ‘another home’

This is Samson’s first season with CSK after a historic move from Rajasthan Royals, where he had spent many years. Despite the change, he said it never felt like a new environment, as he was warmly welcomed by the team. Sanju also praised the calm atmosphere inside the CSK camp.

The Indian goalkeeper added: “It’s not easy to start the tournament like this in a different franchise, but I never felt like it was a different franchise. I think it’s like coming to another home. I think the people are so sweet, so kind and everyone is very calm.”

Sanju Samson praises CSK’s calm locker room culture

Samson shared that even after losing three games, the team stayed relaxed and focused, and they had a brief huddle before the DC game that helped the players stay focused instead of overthinking and brought everyone together.

The Kerala star signed off by saying, “Even after losing three games in a row, we had a 50-second meeting today. It shows what the franchise is like and that really connects with the person I am. I am very happy to be here.”

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