Sanju Samson: Smashed 2 centuries in 1 season
Sanju Samson smashed 101*against the Mumbai Indians in an IPL game played on Thursday. That was the second century in this season from the Chennai Super Kings(CSK) batter.
here is the Match summary
Chennai Super Kings 207 for 6 (Samson 101*, Ghazanfar 2-25, Ashwani 2-37) beat Mumbai Indians 104 (Tilak 37, Suryakumar 35, Akeal 4-17, Noor 2-23) by 103 run
Sanju Samson scored the first century of the 2026 IPL season, hitting an unbeaten 115 off 56 balls for the Chennai Super Kings against Delhi Capitals on April 11, 2026. That was his fifth IPL century overall, making him the first player in IPL history to score the first hundred of an edition four different times.
Record from Sanju Samson
Record: Samson set the record for the most “first centuries of the season” (2017, 2019, 2021, and 2026)
Total IPL centuries: Samson has scored 5 IPL centuries in his career. He is 4th in the list. Virat Kohli holds the record for the most centuries in IPL career history, with 8 centuries in 265 innings for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as of April 2026. Jos Buttler follows him with 7 centuries, and Chris Gayle with 6 centuries.
Here is the list of centuries of Sanju Samson in the past
102 vs Rising Pune Supergiant (2017): Rookie Sanju Samson fired
- Team: Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals)
- Venue: Pune
- Details: Samson’s maiden IPL century came in 63 balls, featuring 8 fours and 5 sixes. He anchored the innings, helping Delhi reach 205/4 and secure a 97-run victory.
Delhi Daredevils (DD) edge out Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) by a massive margin of 97 runs. In that game, Sanju Samson (102 off 63) put his woeful domestic season behind him in some style, smashing the first century of IPL 2017 to lay down a strong foundation for Delhi Daredevils’ resounding victory over Rising Pune Supergiant. Rishabh Pant (31 off 22) also chipped in with a vital cameo, while Chris Morris’s carnage (38 off 9) truly put daylight between the sides competing for two crucial points.
With Steve Smith absent due to illness, RPS were behind the eight-ball from the very start in a daunting chase of 206 and couldn’t quite bridge the gap by the end. The result was a humbling 97-run defeat.
Sanju Samson was 22 years and 151 days old when he scored his first IPL century on April 11, 2017. At the time, he was the second-youngest player to score an IPL century.
102 (55 balls) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), 2019 (RR):* An unbeaten ton in a losing cause.
Sanju Samson turned the heat on Sunrisers Hyderabad with the first century of the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, which powered Rajasthan Royals to 198/2 after they elected to bat first in the eighth match of IPL-12 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad, on Friday. However, Samson’s effort remained futile as the hosts went on to win the match by five wickets.
Samson’s second century of IPL came off just 54 balls as a batsman, who hails from Kerala, finished with an unbeaten 102 off 55 balls — studded with 10 fours and four sixes.
Sunrisers’ successful run-chase was led by openers David Warner (69 off 37) and Jonny Bairstow (45 off 28), who stitched an opening partnership of 110 runs to lay a solid platform.
The home team went on to achieve the target with an over to spare. They finished with 201/5.
119 (63 balls) vs Punjab Kings (PBKS), 2021 (RR): A brilliant 119 in a high-scoring chase from Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson‘s score of 119 off 63 balls occurred during the IPL 2021 match between the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 12, 2021. Despite his heroics, the Punjab Kings won the thriller by 4 runs.
Match Highlights & Key Statistics
Historical Milestone: Samson became the first player in IPL history to score a century on his captaincy debut.
The Innings: His knock included 12 fours and 7 sixes, carrying the chase almost single-handedly as the Royals pursued a target of 222.
Final Over Drama: With 13 runs needed off the final over bowled by Arshdeep Singh, Samson refused a single to Chris Morris on the penultimate ball, trusting himself to hit the winning boundary.
The Finish: Needing 5 runs off the last ball, Samson was caught at deep extra cover by Deepak Hooda, ending a valiant effort just short of victory.
106* vs Delhi Capitals (2026) – Chennai Super Kings
Sanju Samson scored his first century of the 2026 IPL season on April 23, 2026, scoring 101 off 54 balls* against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium. This was his 5th IPL century and his second for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Remarkably, this marked the fourth time in his career that he had scored the first hundred of an IPL campaign.
Key Details of the Innings:
- Match: IPL 2026 Match 33 (MI vs CSK).
- Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
- Score: 101* (54 balls).
- Boundary Count: 10 fours and 6 sixes.
- Significance: Second century of the 2026 season for Samson, becoming the first Indian to score two in a single edition for CSK.
- Result: CSK won by 103 runs
Samson’s innings was crucial as he anchored the innings after early wickets, finishing the game strongly. This knock helped him move to 5 IPL centuries, putting him joint-fourth on the all-time list.
101* vs Mumbai Indians (2026) – Chennai Super Kings
In a dominant display of all-round excellence, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) secured a comprehensive 103-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match 33 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
After Sanju Samson’s breathtaking unbeaten 101 anchored CSK to a massive 207/6, Impact Player Akeal Hosein produced a masterclass in left-arm spin bowling, picking up four wickets to dismantle the home side’s chase.
This is the first-ever century by a CSK batter against MI; he finished the innings with a four on the final ball. Sanju Samson’s 5th IPL century propelled CSK to a formidable 207/6 at Wankhede Stadium, marking a historic high-stakes performance in the “El Clasico” clash.
Playing the first IPL El Clásico of his career, Chennai Super Kings‘ Akeal Hosein (4-1-17-4) handed Mumbai Indians their biggest loss by runs in T20 history. CSK’s batting revolved around their new talisman; their second-highest score was 22. MI crumbled to spin, eight of their XI dismissed for single-digits.
Despite a mid-innings wobble where Allah Ghazanfar (2/25) removed Shivam Dube and Dewald Brevis in quick succession to leave CSK at 122/4, Samson found a steady partner in Kartik Sharma (18). The pair added 43 runs for the fifth wicket, allowing Samson to accelerate in the slog overs.
A late cameo from Jamie Overton (15 off 7) further helped with the momentum, while Samson smashed two sixes and a four off Krish Bhagat’s final over of the innings to bring up an unbeaten score of 101(54) and propel CSK to 207/6.
The MI chase was rocked in the very first over and never truly recovered. Introduced as the Impact Player, Akeal Hosein produced a sensational opening spell that left the MI top order in tatters. He dismissed Danish Malewar and Naman Dhir in quick succession, and by the end of the third over, MI were reeling at 11/3.
Sanju Samson in International T20
Sanju Samson was a standout performer in India’s victorious 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, breaking records by scoring 321 runs in 5 innings at an 80.26 average, including key half-centuries in the semi-final and final against New Zealand. He was named the most valuable player of the tournament.
Key 2026 T20 World Cup Highlights:
- Historic Run: Sanju Samson became the highest-scoring Indian in a single edition of the T20 World Cup, surpassing Virat Kohli’s 2014 record.
- Knockout Performance: He was pivotal in the final, anchoring the innings with 89 runs to help defend the title against New Zealand.
- Record Streak: He joined an elite list of players (Afridi, Kohli) to score half-centuries in both the semi-final and final of a T20 World Cup.
He has accumulated 1399 T20I runs, boasting a top 20 ICC batting ranking. He was recently included in the 2026 T20 World Cup team for key matches
Key T20I Career Highlights (as of April 2026):
- Debut: July 19, 2015, vs Zimbabwe.
- Rise to Prominence: After being a reserve in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, he secured a regular spot, notably opening during the 2024 Zimbabwe tour.
- Century Streak (2024): Scored his maiden T20I century (111 off 47 balls) against Bangladesh, followed by 107 and an unbeaten 109 against South Africa in late 2024.
- 2026 T20 World Cup: Served as a key batter and wicketkeeper-batter, delivering high-impact knocks in high-pressure matches.
- Ranking: Achieved a top ranking of 17th among T20I batters with over 1,399 runs.
Conclusion
Sanju Samson is firmly establishing himself as a vital T20I player and a future leader for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL. After transferring to CSK, he has shown immense form, including a 115* against DC and a 101* against MI, earning praise as an “IPL Century King”. Analysts like Ravi Ashwin foresee him leading CSK. As well as establishing himself as the Probable team leader for international duty for a long time.