Chennai Super Kings finally came into their own in IPL 2026 on Saturday, with Sanju Samson leading the charge. Samson made history by becoming the first batter in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to score centuries for three different franchises after he brought up his maiden hundred in Chennai Super Kings (CSK) colours against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Chepauk Stadium. During the clash at Chepauk, a wounded Samson, following three poor outings, roared back into form with an unbeaten 115* off 56 balls, which included 11 fours and four sixes, at a strike rate of 205.36.
Out of his four IPL hundreds, Sanju has scored two for Rajasthan Royals (in the 2019 and 2021 seasons) and one for Delhi Capitals (in the 2017 season).
He later added a 113-run stand with Ayush Mhatre (59 off 36 balls, with three fours and four sixes), while a fiery cameo from Shivam Dubey (20* off 10 balls, with two fours and a six) powered CSK to 212/2 in 20 overs. DC skipper Axar Patel (1/39) was among the wickets. Interestingly, Mhatre was retired out after the third ball of the 18th over, becoming the first batter to be retired out in this IPL. The internet reacted strongly to the decision.
First retired out of the IPL 2026 as CSK brought Mhatre back
– A very good decision as they had Brevis & Dube at their disposal & they got slow in last 2 overs. pic.twitter.com/oBjXzwyRkh
— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) April 11, 2026
Unpopular opinion : Ayush Mhatre is a better hitter than Shivam Dube and retiring Ayush out was a bad move.
— Manjit (@CricManjit) April 11, 2026
🚨AYUSH MHATRE RETIRE OUT BY CSK MANAGEMENT🚨
– After Scoring 59(36) at Strike rate of 200 they retire him 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zoh8OKD91R
— Sam (@Cricsam01) April 11, 2026
Samson also completed 400 sixes in T20 cricket, becoming the fourth Indian to reach the milestone after Rohit Sharma (554), Virat Kohli (441), and Suryakumar Yadav (442). He now has 401 sixes in the shortest format of the game.
The 113-run partnership between Samson and half-centurion Ayush Mhatre is the second-highest for CSK against DC for any wicket in IPL history, behind the 141 runs added by Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad for the first wicket in Delhi in 2023.
Sanju was sensational against both pace and spin, but he showed a particular liking for the pacers, scoring 84 runs off 39 balls at a strike rate of 215.4, with 11 fours and three sixes. Against spin, he scored 31 runs off 17 balls at a strike rate of 182.3, with four boundaries and a six.
In the match, DC won the toss and elected to bowl first. While skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (15 off 18 balls) looked rusty during his 62-run opening stand with Sanju, the Kerala-born batting star displayed the same fluency that earned him the Player of the Tournament award at the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
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