Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opened their account in IPL 2026 with an excellent 23-run win over the Delhi Capitals at home, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, on Saturday (April 11). Asked to bat first, the hosts rode a scintillating, record-breaking century from Sanju Samson (115* off 56) to reach 212/2.
The total looked slightly sub-par, but a middle-overs choke led by English all-rounder Jamie Overton‘s spell of 4/18 helped the five-time champions bowl out the Capitals for 189 on the 120th ball. Gurjapneet Singh also introduced himself to the IPL with an impressive debut, taking the wicket of DC captain Axar Patel on his first ball, while Anshul Kamboj (3/35) also starred with the ball.
Captains Axar and Ruturaj Gaikwad differed in their opinion
about the pitch, with the former calling it a ‘good’ pitch and the latter feeling it was on the ‘drier side’. It was neither and fell somewhere in between — enough to call it a good sporting wicket where the respective skills were the major reason behind the result.
Gaikwad was poor with the bat, lacking intent in the power play to score 15 off 18. Samson dealt with the responsibility of singlehandedly taking his team forward quite well, playing as he did in the 2026 T20 World Cup by maintaining the tempo throughout the innings.
Ayush Mhatre cleaned up the mess on the other end with a good 59 with three fours and four sixes. CSK showed signs of shedding their skin by opting to retire him out for a finisher in Shivam Dube (who repaid the faith with a 10-ball 20), though it was a bit ironic that it was Gaikwad calling the youngster off the pitch.
In reply, Pathum Nissanka started brilliantly, rushing to 41 off 24, but saw the rest of his top-order mates get blown off by CSK’s pace attack. Kamboj, Overton, Khaleel Ahmed, and Gurjapneet took out one top-four batter each. In the middle-overs, Overton and Gurjapneet in particular kept pushing the Capitals on the back foot with their hard-length balls, and none, barring Tristan Stubbs (60 off 38), had any answers.
After David Miller got out for 17, Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma’s partnership offered hope, but Noor Ahmad struck to get the latter out, and Overton piled pressure by ending Auqib Nabi’s debut batting innings for 4.
The 19th over was all about Stubbs vs Overton, and the Englishman triumphed on the third ball, as the South African mis-timed a loft. Apparently, he had asked for a glove change before the ball and was denied, which prompted him to take out his frustration on an official and on his own gear after the wicket.
Kamboj wrapped up the tail in the last over without any more fuss.
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