‘Dismiss Sanju Samson early or be ready to pay the price’

By K.R. Nayar

Mumbai. It’s not just IPL teams, but cricketing teams across the globe now recognise a chilling truth: dismiss Sanju Samson early or be ready to pay the price. Following his unbeaten 115 in 56 balls for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), after scores of 6, 7, and 9 in his first three matches, every team is likely to be nervous if he passes the single-digit score. Sanju Chetta (brother), as he is adorably addressed, is the finest demolisher of any bowling attack, and he gave CSK a 23-run victory over Delhi Capitals (DC).

It was CSK’s first win of this edition and also ended a six-match losing streak for CSK on their home ground. A devoted admirer of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, Sanju lit up the night further with the iconic salute from Padayappa movie, sending the Chepauk crowd into raptures. While Sanju did the Padayappa salute, every bowler who bowled should have also saluted this exceptionally talented hard-hitter, who won the Player of the Tournament award in the recent T20 World Cup.

Wearing the No. 11 jersey—the legendary Viv Richards’ jersey number throughout his career—Sanju hit his first century for CSK and the first century of IPL 2026 on April 11. Incidentally, he had scored his first-ever IPL century too on April 11, 2017, while playing for the Delhi Daredevils against the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). For Sanju, who was kept out of the Indian XI for a long time despite his talent, this must have been special.

Sanju’s century was not just a breezy knock but a beautiful memory, specially crafted for his team’s fans. He became the first-ever wicketkeeper-batter to score a century for CSK. His 115 broke CSK’s greatest hero, former captain and wicketkeeper MS Dhoni’s long-standing record for the highest individual score by a CSK wicketkeeper (84 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 2019).

It was a treat to watch how Sanju destroyed each of the bowlers’ plans. They were out to break his rhythm, but he did find it and sent the ball repeatedly to the boundary and over it. It was not a reckless knock, but a majestic one. It is not simply that he has become the second player in IPL history to score a century for three different franchises (Delhi Daredevils/Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, and CSK), joining KL Rahul.

So much is the power that he packs into his shots that they pierce the field like arrows. He pulls the ball, displaying his lack of respect for the bowler. Lofted shots often landed amidst the cheering crowd. He became the fourth Indian to hit 400 or more T20 sixes.

Whenever Sanju has scored a century, he leaves the stadium spellbound. His earlier three IPL centuries did just that when he hit 102 (63 balls) vs RPS in Pune in 2017, an unbeaten 102 (55 balls) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad in 2019, and 119 (63 balls) vs Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Wankhede in 2021.

If Sanju gets going, it becomes a breezy start for his team. He scored 45 of CSK's 61 powerplay runs, reaching his fifty in just 26 balls. His late cuts were played with finesse. He got the ball to obey him, and all those runs were piled up as per his orders. What is lovely about Sanju’s knocks is his shot-making, as they are clean and calculated, and his innings was nothing but sheer domination over the bowlers.

Like Viv Richards, Sanju has all the strokes that the genius possessed, except his swagger. His knocks have elegance as well as brutality, which only a few in the modern game possess. Remembering to give the Rajinikanth-style salute to his fans after his ton must surely have been appreciated more than a walk with a swagger to the pavilion.