Chennai, April 11 Sanju Samson ended his lackluster start to the IPL 2026 season with a blazing century, and Ayush Mhatre provided another glimpse of the future with a fluent half-century as Chennai Super Kings posted a competitive 212 for two against Delhi Capitals here on Saturday.
His unbeaten 115 off 56 balls (15x4, 4x6) was the cornerstone of Chennai's best batting performance in this IPL.
After being asked to bat first, the CSK batsman brought up his first substantial knock in the Yellow jersey, and was involved in an excellent partnership with Mhatre for the second wicket – 113 runs in just over 11 overs.
It was Samson's fourth IPL century, the first for CSK and the first in IPL 2026.
Samson's big score was essential for both himself and CSK to restore the confidence of their fans, and he did so with a brilliant innings in front of home fans.
It was a typical Samson innings. The Kerala batter had looked unsure of his footwork and field placements in earlier matches this season, but on this occasion, the familiar Samson returned.
His feet, eyes, and hands rediscovered their coordination, and consequently, the shots flowed effortlessly. However, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad failed to accelerate even in the Power Play, and his 62-run opening wicket partnership was entirely built on Samson's aggression.
Samson gave an early indication of his form with two consecutive fours off pacer Mukesh Kumar, but his standout shot during his innings was a six over extra cover off left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
Fortune also favored Samson as he was dropped on 55 by Pathum Nissanka near long-off off Axar Patel.
The 31-year-old fully exploited his reprieve and made DC pay for their mistake. Samson reached his fifty in 26 balls, one less than Mhatre, and his century in 52 balls as CSK continued their strong performance.
Mhatre, on the other hand, provided a good innings before being retired to give the powerful Shivam Dube a chance.
However, until that moment, Mhatre entertained the Chepauk crowd with some impressive shots.