Sanju Samson stood up and led from the front as he carried his bat with his unbeaten 115 off 66 balls. Sanju Samson did the heavy lifting, ably supported by Ayush Mhatre’s half-century, as Ruturaj Gaikwad struggled to get going. The finishing kick was given by Shivam Dube as CSK managed a fighting 212/2 in 20 overs. Samson made his maiden hundred for CSK while the others played around him. They made 212, which is a very good score.
In reply, Jamie Overton stole the show with his 4/18 in 4 overs, dismantling DC batters, while Anshul Kamboj picked up 3 wickets as CSK was good in the field and much better with the ball as they held off Tristan Stubbs’ half-century to register a 23-run win and move to 9th in the points table. It was a good all-round performance by CSK.
Sanju Samson’s sparkling unbeaten ton powers CSK to 212/2
Put into bat first, Sanju Samson, the keeper-batter, opened the batting with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad while Aquib Nabi had the ball in hand for DC. It was the Sanju Samson show from the start till the end as he dazzled under the Chennai lights. Samson was timing the ball well and was doing the lion’s share of run-scoring. Ruturaj struggled again and was playing too slow for the pitch was on offer.
But Sanju’s stroke-making ensured that CSK reached 61/0 in 6 overs. Just after the power play, CSK lost their captain. The opening duo put on 62 for the first wicket before the captain’s misery was over as Gaikwad fell for 15 off 18 balls with one four to his name to captain Axar Patel. Ayush Mhatre came out to bat next. The duo played themselves in at the initial stage of the partnership before upping the ante.
There was no looking back for CSK as both players complemented each other really well. Sanju was batting like a dream while Mhatre was at his usual self as well. Both the players aced the middle phase of the game as DC was searching for wickets. What did not help was the missed opportunities by DC, as a run out of Mhatre was missed while Samson was dropped in the deep twice by Nissanka and Miller later on.
Samson made DC pay for the missed chances and went beyond his fifty, while Mhatre also reached his fifty as well. The duo had put on 113 runs for the second wicket to lay the platform for CSK before Mhatre was retired out by the team management for 59 off 36 balls with 3 fours and 4 sixes to his name. Shivam Dube came to provide the finishing kick to the side.
But the night belonged to Sanju Samson as he completed his 4th IPL ton and first for CSK with a boundary down to third man. It was a special moment for him, and he and Dube carried on for CSK even after that. The Dube Samson partnership added 37 runs unbeaten off 15 balls. It enabled CSK to get past 200, and the Men in Yellow ended with 212/2 in 20 overs, with Samson carrying his bat for his 115 off 56 balls with 15 fours and 4 sixes to his name, while Dube was unbeaten on 20 off 10 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name.
CSK finished with 212/2 in 20 overs with 3 extras given by the bowling side. Captain Axar Patel picked up the only wicket for DC as he finished with 1/39 in 4 overs. Aquib Nabi finished with 0/17 in 2 overs. Mukesh Kumar finished with 0/37 in 4 overs. T Natarajan finished with 0/54 in 4 overs. Lungi Ngidi finished with 0/41 in 4 overs. Kuldeep Yadav finished with 0/24 in 2 overs. So, it means DC needs 213 runs to win off 20 overs to move up the points table.  Can they do it?
Jamie Overton’s 4-wicket haul sinks DC as CSK notch up their first win this season
Chasing 213 for the win, Pathum Nissanka and keeper batter KL Rahul came out to bat for DC, while Impact Player Akeal Hosein had the ball in hand for CSK. The openers came out all guns blazing and took the attack to the CSK bowlers. Nissanka was the main aggressor, while Rahul was also playing his game from the other end. The duo added 61 runs inside 5 overs and were taking the game away from CSK. The Men in Yellow struck in the end as Rahul was the first to depart for 18 off 10 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name to Khaleel Ahmed. Sameer Rizvi came out to bat next.
Nissanka fell soon after, as the score was still 61 when the Lankan opener fell for 41 off 24 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Anshul Kamboj. Captain Axar Patel came out to bat as a floater next inside the power play. The powerplay score was 66/2 in 6 overs for the DC team. Just 5 runs were added to the tally before the captain Axar fell for 1 off 2 balls to Gurjapneet Singh as Sarfaraz Khan pulled off a stunner at backward point. David Miller came out to bat next.
Rizvi and Miller tried to forge a partnership, but could add 10 more runs to the tally before Rizvi fell for 6 off 9 balls with one boundary to his name to Jamie Overton. Tristan Stubbs came out to bat next. DC were in a spot of bother at 76/4 in 8 overs when these two South African players joined forces. Miller and Stubbs led the fightback from DC while CSK were desperate to break the partnership.
Stubbs was the main contributor while Miller was playing second fiddle. The duo added a crucial 45 runs off 26 balls before Miller fell for 17 off 14 balls with one four and one six to his name to Overton, who cleaned him up. Impact Player Ashutosh Sharma came out to bat next to join Stubbs in the middle. Sharma played his shots straightaway and made an impact straightaway. The duo added 28 runs for the 6th wicket before Sharma fell for 19 off 10 balls with one four and two sixes to his name to Noor Ahmad. Auqib Nabi came out to bat and got off the mark straightaway with a boundary.
Just 5 runs were added to the score before Nabi fell for 4 off 2 balls with one boundary to his name to Overton yet again. Kuldeep Yadav came out to bat next. Stubbs kept the fight going and single-handedly kept the Men in Yellow in the hunt. Stubbs added 29 runs for the 8th wicket before falling for a well-made 60 off 38 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes to his name to Overton yet again. Lungi Ngidi came out to bat next.
Just 2 runs were added to the score before Kuldeep fell for 4 off 7 balls to Kamboj. T Natarajan was the last man to come out to bat next. 4 runs were added to the tally before Ngidi fell off the final ball of the innings for 3 off 5 balls to Kamboj. Natarajan was unbeaten on 1 off 2 balls. 15 extras given by the fielding side as DC were bowled out for 189 in 20 overs.
Jamie Overton was the pick of the bowlers for CSK with figures of 4/18 in 4 overs. Anshul Kamboj chipped in with 3/35 in 4 overs. Khaleel Ahmed finished with 1/40 in 3 overs. Gurjapneet Singh finished with 1/39 in 4 overs. Noor Ahmad finished with 1/36 in 3 overs. Impact Player Akeal Hosein finished with 0/20 in 2 overs. So, CSK wins their first game of the season by beating DC by 23 runs. Sanju Samson was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead
CSK are off the mark in IPL 2026. They have climbed to 9th in the points table. They will face KKR, who are in 10th place, on 14th April, 2026, on Tuesday in Chennai. DC will have another away game coming their way. Two more games on Super Sunday as LSG takes on GT in Lucknow from 3:30 PM IST. Then, we will have the feature match as MI will lock horns with RCB in Mumbai from 7:30 PM IST.
So, double the action, double the drama in IPL 2026 as Super Sunday will have clashes in the afternoon and evening. Let’s see how things pan out in the games on Super Sunday.
Also Read: CSK VS DC: Sanju Samson’s Sparkling Ton Powers CSK To 212/2.