Former India captain Anil Kumble has lauded Chennai Super Kings opener Sanju Samson for his blistering, match-winning century against Delhi Capitals at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 11.
Samson belted an unbeaten 115 off just 56 balls, laced with 15 fours and four sixes, in CSK’s 23-run win, which helped them open their account after a hat-trick of losses to start the season.
Kumble dissected Samson’s effort, highlighting that the wicketkeeper-batter displayed his wide range by splitting his runs equally on the off- and on-side. The former spinner admitted that he was impressed by Samson’s game awareness, adding that it was a positive for both him and the team that he converted his start into a big innings, especially after missing the landmark by narrow margins thrice in India’s victorious 2026 T20 World Cup campaign.
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Samson’s unbeaten knock headlined CSK’s eventual total of 212 for 2, with a crucial hand from youngster Ayush Mhatre, who showed intent aplenty in his 59 off 36 before retiring out as a tactical move.
“You can see from his wagon wheel that he plays all around the ground. It’s not just that he has a strong off-side or a strong on-side. 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,” Kumble told JioStar.
“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.
Kumble’s co-panellist Cheteshwar Pujara weighed in on how such a win will be a confidence booster for CSK, especially after three losses on the bounce.
“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,” Pujara said.
“Once you start winning in the IPL, it’s always about momentum. 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 concluded.
