Sanju Samson became the first wicketkeeper to hit a century for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday (April 11). He reached three figures off just 52 balls, breaking franchise legend MS Dhoni’s record for most runs scored by a designated ‘keeper in an IPL match — 84 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019.
It was one of Samson’s best innings in the IPL, too. He took the responsibility to be aggressive at the top of the order and just like in the recent 2026 T20 World Cup, made sure to not let the tempo go down irrespective of his partner at the other end, leading to a stand of 62 off 38 with Ruturaj Gaikwad (who managed only 15 off 18), 113 off 68 withAyush Mhatre and 37 (15) with Shivam Dube.
Most runs in an innings for CSK as a designated
wicketkeeper:
| Player | Runs | Balls Faced | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate | Innings | Opposition | Ground | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanju Samson | 115* | 56 | 15 | 4 | 205.35 | 1 | v Delhi Capitals | Chennai | 11 Apr 2026 |
| MS Dhoni | 84* | 48 | 5 | 7 | 175 | 2 | v Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru | 21 Apr 2019 |
| MS Dhoni | 79* | 44 | 6 | 5 | 179.54 | 2 | v Kings XI Punjab | Mohali | 15 Apr 2018 |
| MS Dhoni | 75* | 46 | 4 | 4 | 163.04 | 1 | v Rajasthan Royals | Chennai | 31 Mar 2019 |
| MS Dhoni | 70* | 40 | 3 | 6 | 175 | 1 | v Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru | 22 May 2011 |
| MS Dhoni | 70* | 34 | 1 | 7 | 205.88 | 2 | v Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru | 25 Apr 2018 |
| MS Dhoni | 67* | 37 | 7 | 4 | 181.08 | 2 | v Sunrisers Hyderabad | Chennai | 25 Apr 2013 |
| MS Dhoni | 66* | 33 | 6 | 3 | 200 | 1 | v Kolkata Knight Riders | Eden Gardens | 16 Mar 2010 |
| MS Dhoni | 65 | 30 | 9 | 3 | 216.66 | 1 | v Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru | 28 Apr 2008 |
| MS Dhoni | 63* | 31 | 5 | 4 | 203.22 | 1 | v Delhi Daredevils | Chennai | 12 May 2011 |
“I think to start off, it was definitely holding a bit. It was sticking a bit, and when Axar bowled in the power play, the ball was holding with the new ball. But when the ball became old, I think it got a great wicket to bat on. And we just stuck to our basics and I had a great partnership with Aayush. Nowadays, you can’t set a target in mind. You just have to look at as much a big a score as you can put on the board. The plan was to just keep going. We didn’t lose many wickets. We had a very long batting order to come. So it was just about picking your bowlers, picking your options, and sticking to contribute as much as possible.”
