Sanju Samson Leads CSK to Victory against DC with Centurion Performance

CSK vs DC: Centurion Sanju Samson Silences Critics

For the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), it was a day of redemption in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, as they beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by 23 runs, courtesy of a sublime 115* from Sanju Samson, which silenced critics of the veteran Rajasthan Royals (RR) wicket-keeper batsman.

Sanju Samson, the Unstoppable Centurion

Coming into this match, Sanju Samson had faced intense scrutiny, but he turned it on its head in style, smashing 15 boundaries and 4 sixes in his 56-ball innings to take CSK’s total from a modest 167/5 to a competitive 212/7. The 32-year-old batted with characteristic authority, timing his shots to perfection as he looked to silence his detractors.

This was perhaps one of the best innings of Samson’s IPL career, as he gave CSK the impetus they desperately required to push their season back on track. Having come off two losses, and back-to-back defeats having marred their overall build-up, Sanju Samson went about rewriting the script with Samson’s aggressive display.

‘It was a team effort, but Sanju’s 115 not out really took the game away from us. He punished each opportunity to hurt the CSK team,’ Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper, Rishabh Pant said.’

‘Sanju put CSK in a great position’: MS Dhoni

The CSK captain, MS Dhoni heaped praise on Samson’s remarkable performance, describing it as a ‘great effort’ that put his team in an excellent position to secure a crucial win. Dhoni hailed the game as ‘massively crucial’ in CSK’s bid to salvage their season.

‘We knew what to expect, we played on what we thought was the right surface, and Sanju put CSK in a great position,’ Dhoni said.’His partnership with Tristan Stubbs was valuable at that stage, but we had to wait and watch and see what the DC team’s plan was.

DC Responds But Fall Short

Delhi Capitals (DC) batsman, Tristan Stubbs, who hit 60, and the top-scoring Ayush Mhatre, with 59, initially gave his team a glimmer of hope with an invaluable partnership.

However, CSK bowlers – including Jamie Overton who took four wickets for 18 – remained determined to halt the momentum of the game, restricting DC to 188/7, leaving them 24 runs short of the victory target.