Sanju Samson has been the toast of Chennai Super Kings’ IPL 2026 season, with the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter emerging as the engine room chief behind four of the five wins thus far this season.
With two centuries already in his first stint with the CSK, following a high-profile trade from the Rajasthan Royals last December, Samson cracked an unbeaten 87 in a match-winning effort against the Delhi Capitals on Tuesday night. While Samson has built from strength to strength since a miraculous comeback at the T20 World Cup. However, Samson has not silenced all doubts yet with former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar urging the 31-year-old to stress on his fitness.
Manjrekar insisted that Samson must take a cue from former India captain Virat Kohli and improve on the fitness aspect to extend the purple patch that he is currently enjoying in the shortest format. Manjrekar extended the advice to India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav whose woes with the bat have sustained for an extended period now.
“I’m saying that about Sanju Samson as well, who’s also not a 25-year-old because he’s hit the peak of his achievements, just to sustain it. He could also do the same thing, because I see him also not being in peak physical condition,” the Mumbaikar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge Podcast.
“When you have a great example, like Virat Kohli, who has had such a long career. You know, just because he’s given fitness so much importance. He’s had tremendous skills, but he’s made sure that the body doesn’t let him down. Because that’s the one you can control,” he added.
Samson is currently relishing one of his productive IPL seasons with the bat already, only two months on from his Player of the Tournament performance in the T20 World Cup where he emerged as India’s top run-getter and highest six-hitter in the tournament. In only 10 innings, Samson has racked up 402 runs with a 167 strike rate.
Chasing a tricky 156-run target at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Samson tempered the innings perfectly with a breezy knock that composed of seven fours and six sixes, handing CSK their fifth win by eight wickets.
