Are CSK overdependent on Sanju Samson?

Sanju is the man again

Getting a 100 in around 40 balls is good for a batter’s highlight reel. But once in a while, when the pitch is not an ally, one has to find different ways to skin a cat. Sanju Samson, has got two hundred in the first season for his new franchise, but his unbeaten innings of 87 off 52 balls on Tuesday showed that he has become a changed player since his heroics in the T20 World Cup.

At Delhi, Samson couldn’t go for every ball and had to pick his moments. He had lost his captain early and Urvil Patel, who was threatening to break loose, was gone with 45 on the board in the seventh over. The surface needed some circumspection and Samson played his role to perfection. Rotating strike wasn’t easy so the CSK opener focused on hitting every ball in his hitting arc to the boundary and beyond.

Chennai Super Kings batsman Sanju Samson and Kartik Sharma after won the match against Delhi Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday. EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA 05 05 2026.

His first maximum proved that six-hitting needn’t involve violence. Axar Patel had given him just a hint of room in the second over and Samson gave himself some more before lofting the ball, almost apologetically, over wide mid-off for a six.

That set the template for the match-winning innings, where Samson didn’t fight the pitch but focused on timing to target the short boundaries.

And he knew when to put his foot on the gas. When Lungi Ngidi, returning after his scary injury in the game against Punjab Kings, bowled a tight 14th over giving away only a single, the equation read 50 needed off 36 balls.

That’s when Samson took matters into his own hands. The next over, bowled by T Natarajan, went for 20, including two sixes and a four, and the match was over as a contest. So much so, that the game was done and dusted with two and a half overs to spare.

But Samson couldn’t have done it all by himself. A match-winning stand of 114 off 66 balls needs a foil and young Kartik Sharma played an impressive hand of 41 in 31 balls.

Spin to win for CSK

Sometimes the biggest quality a captain needs is courage. But then perhaps, if you have a Powerplay bowling expert such as Akeal Hosein, getting him to bowl three overs out of the first six isn’t quite that big a risk. But having a spinner to bowl the last over of the Powerplay comes with an inherent risk, when the batters at the crease are proficient against spin and looking to accelerate after a quiet start to the innings.

Delhi Capitals had already lost Pathum Nissanka and were struggling to get away. KL Rahul, the leading run-scorer in the tournament, was at the crease trying to come to terms with a surface that was slow and low, and assisting the spinners. In short, the typical pitch one would expect at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Chennai Super Kings bowler NOOR AHMAD celebrate the wicket of Delhi Capitals Batsman Nitish Rana during the IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday. EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA 05 05 2026.

The home team had managed to reach only 36/1 in five overs and needed to optimise the last six deliveries before the field spread when Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad took the call. Akeal foxed one of the best players of spin with some traditional skill. The ball was flighted and DC’s best batter was foxed in the air as the delivery dipped and turned enough to miss the middle of the bat. The miscue didn’t even cross the circle.

The three overs that the left-arm spinner from the Caribbean bowled inside the Powerplay brought returns of 1/15, part of a spell of 1/19 with as many as 14 dot balls. But the fact that this seemed almost expected and CSK got some stick for leaving him out for a crucial game that really speaks of his importance for his franchise.

Overseas spinners are not always the sought-after commodity in the IPL. When CSK, who pride themselves on their spin resources, went for a foreign pairing – Akeal with Afghan Noor Ahmad – it seemed a risk. When the home team was reduced to 69/5 in 11 overs, the decision was vindicated once again. If CSK, after a forgettable start to the tournament, are still in the running for a playoff spot, Akeal has a big role in it.

Brief scores: DC 155/7 in 20 overs (Rizvi 40 not out, Stubbs 38; Noor 2/22, Hosein 1/19) lost to CSK 159/2 in 17.3 overs (Samson 87 not out, Kartik Sharma 41 not out) by eight wickets