Samson's hundred and Mhatre's fifty guide CSK to 212/2 against DC

CHENNAI: Sanju Samson shed his indifferent start to IPL 2026 season with a blazing hundred and Ayush Mhatre offered another glimpse into the future with a fluent half-century as Chennai Super Kings posted a competitive 212 for two against Delhi Capitals here on Saturday.

His unbeaten 115 off 56 balls (15x4, 4x6) was the cornerstone of Chennai’s one of better outings with the bat in this IPL.

After being asked to bat first, the CSK man brought up his first substantial knock in a Yellow jersey, and was involved in an excellent stand with Mhatre for the second wicket -- 113 runs in a little over 11 overs.

It was Samson’s fourth IPL hundred, the first for CSK and the first in IPL 2026.

A big score from Samson was essential for himself and CSK to restore the belief of ‘Anbu-den’ faithfuls in their team, and he did that on the night with a brilliant innings in front of home fans.

It was the typical Samson innings. The Kerala batter had looked unsure of his feet and field placings in earlier matches this season, but on this instance a familiar Samson returned.

The feet, eyes and hands rediscovered their coordination and consequently the shots flowed in all directions off the field. However, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad failed to accelerate even in Power Play, and his 62-run opening wicket alliance was entirely built on Samson's aggression.

Samson gave an early indication of his touch with two back-to-back fours off pacer Mukesh Kumar but the stand out shot during his stint was a six over extra cover off left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Fortune too lent its assistance to Samson as he was dropped on 55 by Pathum Nissanka near long-off off Axar Patel.

The 31-year-old fully exploited his reprieve and made DC pay for their lapse. Samson fetched his fifty in 26 balls, one less than Mhatre, and hundred in 52 balls as CSK moved on nicely.

Mhatre, on the other hand, was a real treat to watch until he was retired out after a well-compiled knock, to give the big-hitting Shivam Dube a chance.

But till that moment, Mhatre entertained the Chepauk crowd with some handsome shots.