Sanju Samson's start to life in Chennai Super Kings' yellows has been defined by questions. On the night of April 11 at Chepauk, he delivered a decisive answer.
Opening the innings against Delhi Capitals, Samson struck his maiden fifty for CSK, a fluent 50 off just 26 balls, marking a turning point after three underwhelming single-digit outings.
The 31-year-old then did one better, converting that start into a maiden century for the five-time champions, reaching the milestone off just 52 balls.
His innings was also the first hundred of IPL 2026 and his fourth overall in the league.
Scores of 6, 7 and 9 had placed early scrutiny on the franchise's high-profile acquisition, but this innings finally announces his arrival in yellows.
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Samson got off to a quick start vs DC, racing to 22 off the first nine deliveries he faced. He got going immediately with a beautifully carved four against Auqib Nabi in the first over.
Samson then smashed back-to-back fours against Mukesh Kumar in the 2nd over. The opener was dealing in boundaries, hitting 9 fours to race to a 26-ball fifty.
Here's a look at Samson at the start of his free-flowing innings:
Samson shifted gears in the latter half of his innings.
The explosive opener went on to covert that into a three-digit score, extending CSK's dominant start to the game. Samson brought up his hundred with the 14th four of his innings, before accelerating further, smacking T Natarajan for back-to-back fours in the 18th over.
He eventually finished unbeaten on 115* off 56 balls, striking at 205.35, with 15 fours and four sixes, a complete exhibition of controlled aggression.
Samson anchored a 113-run partnership with youngster Ayush Mhatre (59 - retired hurt) for the second wicket, powering CSK to a formidable 212/2 at Chepauk.
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