Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
It was the stage he was born to play on, and the occasion he has come to relish. Sanju Samson, Chennai Super Kings’ marquee acquisition, proved exactly why the franchise broke the bank for him, delivering a spectacular century against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 23.
MI vs CSK, IPL 2026: Updates | Scorecard
In a high-octane clash where the narrative often shifts like the Mumbai sea breeze, Samson remained the solitary constant. While the MI spinners managed to weave a web around the CSK top order, Samson played a knock that was part surgical precision, part brute force.
The Lone Warrior Act
Despite the flurry of wickets at the other end, Samson refused to blink. The Super Kings found themselves in a spot of bother as the middle order failed to convert starts. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dewald Brevis, Sarfaraz Khan, and Jamie Overton all provided fleeting cameos, but none could provide the anchors needed to navigate the middle overs.
Samson, however, was in a zone of his own. Taking the game deep, he ensured CSK didn’t just survive but thrived, pushing the total past the psychological 200-run mark. His ability to switch gears—respecting the good deliveries from the spinners before launching a late-overs assault—reiterated his status as one of the premier T20 batters in the world today.
Record-Breaking Spree
Since his high-profile trade to the Yellow Brigade, Samson has been in blistering form. It has taken him just seven games to become the joint-record holder for the most centuries for Chennai Super Kings. By reaching the triple-figure mark, he joined a pantheon of CSK legends including Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, and the current skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Furthermore, this century elevates Samson into the upper echelons of Indian T20 history. He now sits level with Rohit Sharma for the most T20 hundreds by an Indian, trailing only Virat Kohli and the young sensation Abhishek Sharma.
With the T20 World Cup heroics still fresh in the memory of fans, Samson’s transition into the CSK yellow has been seamless. If Thursday night was any indication, the “Samson Era” in Chennai is only just beginning.
Sanju Samson’s Hundred vs MI: In Stats
Most Centuries in the IPL
- Virat Kohli: 8
- Jos Buttler: 7
- Chris Gayle: 6
- KL Rahul: 5
- Sanju Samson: 5*
Most Hundreds for CSK
- Sanju Samson: 2 (in just 7 innings)
- SR Watson: 2
- RD Gaikwad: 2
- M Vijay: 2
- SK Raina: 2
Most T20 Centuries among Indians
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- Virat Kohli: 9
- Abhishek Sharma: 9
- Rohit Sharma: 8
- Sanju Samson: 8*
– Ends
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
