Summary of this article
Sanju Samson struck a blistering hundred off just 54 balls in MI vs CSK, hitting 10 boundaries and six sixes
This was his fifth IPL half‑century and second of the IPL 2026 season
Samson reached his century with a boundary off Krish Bhagat in the final oball
Sanju Samson gave the perfect start to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Match 33 fixture against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. The CSK opener smashed a blistering half-century off just 26 balls, which included six boundaries and three maximums.
This was the 27th half-century for Samson in the IPL. This was a perfect response from the opener, who disappointed after being dismissed for just seven runs in the last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
After hitting Jasprit Bumrah for a boundary off a wide ball in the first over, Samson went from strength to strength on Thursday. He targeted the misfiring MI pace attack, hitting three fours and a six in the fourth over by Hardik Pandya.
Following the dismissal of Ruturaj Gaikwad for 22 runs off 14 balls, Samson stood firm like a rock at the other end, keeping the run rate ticking in the powerplay while batting at a strike rate of over 200. Samson brought up his fifty with a boundary off Ashwani Kumar in the 11th over.
As wickets continued to fall at the other end, Samson anchored the CSK innings despite finding little support from his strike partners. After being quiet at the beginning of the death overs, Samson unleashed his fury against Krish Bhagat in the final over, hitting two sixes and a four. He finished the over with a pull shot that went for four, remaining unbeaten at 101.
This was his fifth IPL century and his second this season, after an unbeaten hundred against Delhi Capitals (DC). Samson rose to third place in the Orange cap leaderboard with 293 runs in seven innings. His knock took CSK to a competitive total of 207/6, setting up a mouthwatering chase.
