Sanju Samson is relishing life as a Chennai Super Kings player. After a slow start to the IPL 2026 season, in which he managed just 22 runs across his first three outings, Samson has surged back to form with two centuries and an unbeaten 87 in his next seven innings, playing a crucial role in keeping CSK’s playoff hopes alive.
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He has been especially dominant against Delhi Capitals, following up a brilliant 115* with an unbeaten 87 on Tuesday night. In doing so, he has joined an elite IPL club that includes only Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.
Samson is now the third batter in IPL history to score 200 or more runs against a single opponent in the league stage, having accumulated 202 runs against Delhi
Capitals across two matches this season.
Kohli was the first to achieve the feat during his extraordinary 2016 campaign, when he scored two centuries while leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru against the now-defunct Gujarat Lions, registering knocks of 100* and 109 for a combined total of 209 in the league stage.
Rahul later matched the milestone in 2022, scoring twin unbeaten centuries (103* in both innings) against Mumbai Indians while playing for Lucknow Super Giants.
| Name | Team | Opponent | Season | Scores | Aggregate |
| Virat Kohli | RCB | GL | 2016 | 100*, 109 | 209 |
| KL Rahul | LSG | MI | 2022 | 103*, 103* | 206 |
| Sanju Samson | CSK | DC | 2026 | 115*, 87* | 202 |
Batters to aggregate 200 or more against an opponent in league stage of an IPL season
So far this season, Samson has amassed 402 runs in 10 innings at an average of 57.43, with an impressive strike rate of 167.50. This marks the fifth time in his IPL career that he has crossed the 400-run mark in a single edition.
His best season came in IPL 2024, when he scored 531 runs in 16 matches for Rajasthan Royals.
For his most recent performance, Samson was named Player of the Match.
The 31-year-old revealed that while a century was within reach, he chose to prioritize the team’s victory, allowing his batting partner Kartik Sharma (41*) to continue attacking and guide CSK home comfortably.
“Yeah, it was, but I was like I had to be a bit too selfish to get that. So, I thought let’s win the game and the other partner was batting really well,” Samson said.
