Last night, May 5, saw another showdown between hosts Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings as both sides met during Revenge Week in their bid to keep qualification hopes alive. What could have been a perfect turnaround for DC in front of their home fans after suffering a defeat to CSK in the previous matchup turned into a comfortable, one-sided affair for the visitors at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. CSK’s wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson anchored the innings with an exceptional 87 off just 52 balls. His unbeaten knock helped CSK cross the line with eight wickets in hand and 15 balls to spare in what was a must-win match for their Top 4 hopes.
CSK, who were level on points with DC before the match, have now moved up to sixth on the table with a two-point advantage after chasing down 156 with ease. Much of the credit goes to Samson, who once again glued the innings together while adapting his batting to the match situation.
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This marked the second time Samson was involved in a 100-plus partnership against the same opponent this season. In the previous outing against DC, he stood firm in a 113-run partnership with compatriot Ayush Mhatre and went on to score an unbeaten 115, helping CSK post a competitive total of 212. He remained unbeaten yet again as DC failed to make the most of Revenge Week. His match-winning 114-run partnership with Kartik Sharma helped CSK chase down 156 in a crunch phase of their season.
Both unbeaten displays against DC took Samson’s aggregate to 202 runs against them, placing him third on the list of highest aggregates by a batter against a single opponent in an IPL edition, behind Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.
Virat leads the charts with 209 runs against Gujarat Lions in 2016, including two centuries—an unbeaten 100 and 109—during a record-breaking season in which he scored 973 runs. KL Rahul sits second with 206 runs against Mumbai Indians in 2022, including two unbeaten 103s.
Samson, who was traded to CSK after a long stint with Rajasthan Royals for a bumper ₹18 crore as a long-term replacement for MS Dhoni, has lived up to the expectations. He is among the contenders for the Orange Cap this season, having already scored 402 runs in 10 matches in his debut campaign for CSK.
It remains to be seen whether the 31-year-old can guide his new franchise to a playoff spot, marking what could be one of the best mid-season comebacks after a dreadful start. Samson will also be eyeing the 600-run mark, which would make this his best IPL season, surpassing his previous high of 531 runs in 2024.
Top 5 aggregates by a batter against a single opponent in an IPL edition:
• 209 – Virat Kohli vs GL in 2016 (100*, 109)
• 206 – KL Rahul vs MI in 2022 (103*, 103*)
• 202 – Sanju Samson vs DC in 2026 (115*, 87*)
• 196 – Chris Gayle vs PWI in 2013 (175*, 21)
• 193 – KL Rahul vs RCB in 2020 (132*, 61*)