Sanju stands tall on tricky Delhi track, Gaikwad dubs him CSK’s backbone

Sanju Samson played another masterful knock in IPL 2026 to keep Chennai Super Kings in the race with an eight-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Sanju scored an unbeaten 87 off 52 balls on a tricky surface as CSK chased down DC's total of 155/7 with 15 balls to spare.

CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was all praise for Sanju, who forged a 114-run unbroken partnership with Kartik Sharma (41). “On the batting side, more than grateful to have Sanju after the tournament he had in the (T20) World Cup, he's our backbone," Gaikwad said.

Sanju scored two centuries this season and could have made it a record three in a single campaign for CSK had DC posted a bigger total. Sanju started slowly, making 15 off 17 balls before finding his rhythm.

On a difficult surface that aided spin, CSK’s Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmed shared three wickets between them. But Kuldeep Yadav could not generate the same impact for DC, leaking 34 runs in his three overs.

While CSK’s Malayali opener read the conditions well, DC’s starters struggled. Pathum Nissanka (19) and K L Rahul (12) were back in the dugout inside the powerplay. Tristan Stubbs (38) and Sameer Rizvi (40 not out) came to the rescue for DC after they were left reeling at 69/5.