Anil Kumble and Cheteshwar Pujara hailed Sanju Samson’s match-winning ton against Delhi Capitals on Saturday in Chennai. The Chennai Super Kings smacked an unbeaten 56-ball 115*, finally finding his form as his team also got their first win of the season. Before this, Samson had begun the campaign with scores of 6, 7 and 9 as CSK lost their first three games.
Samson was striking at 205.36 vs DC, also smacking 15 fours and four maximums. He stayed till the end, anchoring CSK’s innings as they posted 212/2 in 20 overs. Samson’s knock was also IPL 2026’s first hundred.
‘Looking to play straight, not with a horizontal bat’: Anil Kumble
Speaking on JioHotstar, Kumble said, “You can see from his wagon wheel that he plays all around the ground. It’s not just that he has a strong offside or a strong onside. What was really impressive was that he was looking to play straight, not with a horizontal bat.”
“When your initial thought process is to play with a straight bat, and then you make those adjustments when a bowler pitches it short, it becomes much easier for a batter to score runs. His game awareness is excellent, and when he gets going, he makes it count.
“We saw that in the T20 World Cup. He didn’t convert those 90s into 100s, but it was different in this game. It was his first hundred for CSK and his fourth overall, a big relief for CSK fans, and also for Sanju Samson, as there was a lot of pressure on him after a tough first three games,” he added.
‘Always about momentum’: Cheteshwar Pujara
Meanwhile, Pujara, a former CSK player, pointed out that the result would give CSK confidence and help them gain momentum.
“If you look at the CSK camp, the body language of each and every player, including the support staff, suggested that they needed this win desperately. They will be relieved, and now that they have their first win on the board, they will start believing they have a chance. Once you start winning in the IPL, it’s always about momentum,” he said.
“You begin to believe that you can make it to the playoffs, because when you are losing, no matter how hard you try to maintain a good environment, there is always some negativity. But when you start winning, everyone begins to think positively,” he added.
Chasing 213, DC were bowled out for 189 in 20 overs, courtesy of a four-wicket haul from Jamie Overton. Meanwhile, Anshul Kamboj took three dismissals.
