Sanju Samson Makes IPL History with Century for Chennai Super Kings

Sanju Samson's Historic IPL Century

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India] - On April 11, Indian opener Sanju Samson etched his name in the record books by becoming the first player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to score centuries for three different teams. He achieved this milestone while playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Chepauk Stadium.

In this match, Samson, who had faced challenges in his previous outings, made a remarkable comeback, scoring an unbeaten 115 runs off 56 balls, which included 11 fours and four sixes, achieving a strike rate of 205.36.

Out of his four IPL centuries, two were scored for Rajasthan Royals during the 2019 and 2021 seasons, and one for Delhi Capitals in 2017.

Additionally, he reached a significant milestone of 400 sixes in T20 cricket, becoming the fourth Indian to do so, joining the ranks of Rohit Sharma (554), Virat Kohli (441), and Suryakumar Yadav (442). Currently, he has 401 sixes in T20 matches.

Samson's partnership with Ayush Mhatre, which yielded 113 runs, stands as the second-highest for CSK against DC in IPL history, only behind the 141 runs scored by Conway and Gaikwad in a previous match in 2023.

He showcased his prowess against both pace and spin bowlers, scoring 84 runs off 39 balls against pacers at a strike rate of 215.4, while also accumulating 31 runs off 17 balls against spin at a strike rate of 182.3.

In the match, DC won the toss and opted to bowl first. Although skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad struggled with 15 runs off 18 balls, Samson displayed the same fluidity that earned him the 'Player of the Tournament' title in the recent T20 World Cup. He later formed a crucial 113-run partnership with Mhatre, who scored 59 runs off 36 balls, complemented by a quick cameo from Shivam Dube, who added 20 runs off 10 balls. This effort propelled CSK to a total of 212/2 in their 20 overs, with Axar Patel from DC taking one wicket for 39 runs.