New Delhi: In a major boost for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), star opener Sanju Samson returned to form with a cracking half-century against in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Saturday, April 11. After three consecutive failures in CSK’s first three games of the season, Samson bounced back with a 26-ball fifty against DC at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Samson opened the batting with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad after the hosts lost the toss and were asked to bat first by DC skipper Axar Patel. Samson looked in fine touch from the word go and played some exceptional strokes on his way to notching up his maiden fifty for CSK in the IPL. Samson completed his fifty with a single against DC pacer Mukesh Kumar in the 9th over.
Samson and Gaikwad got CSK off to a strong start after being asked to bat first, sharing a 62-run stand for the first wicket, their highest opening stand in the IPL 2026 so far. While Samson looked in a great flow, Gaikwad struggled to up the ante and play the big shots. The CSK skipper was eventually dismissed by Axar Patel in the 7th over after a scratchy 18-ball 15.
However, Samson continued his onslaught on the other with some terrific shots across all parts of the ground. The right-hander looked calmer in his approach and confident in his strokeplay as he also brought his foot movement into play against the DC pacers to get the hosts off to a good start in the game.
Courtesy of Samson’s exploits against the new balls, CSK posted 61/0 in the Powerplay, their second-highest Powerplay score in the IPL 2026 so far. This was the first instance of CSK openers Samson and Gaikwad posting a fifty-plus opening stand this season, highlighting their struggles which contributed to the team’s horror start.