IPL 2026: Sanju Samson Smashes Unbeaten Ton As Chennai Super Kings Crush Mumbai Indians

Mumbai: Sanju Samson led the way with an unbeaten century as Chennai Super Kings overpowered  Mumbai Indians by 103 runs in a rather one-sided IPL 2026 clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Chennai Super Kings posted a total of 207 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs, powered by a century knock from Sanju Samson. In reply, the Mumbai Indians lost wickets at regular intervals and were bundled out for 104 runs in 19 overs.

Tilak Varma was the top scorer for Mumbai, making 37 runs off 29 balls. For Chennai, Akeal Hosein claimed four wickets. This marks Chennai Super Kings' third victory of the season, while Mumbai has suffered its fifth defeat.

What happened during the match?

Chasing a target of 208 runs, the Mumbai Indians team got off to a poor start. The team's opening batsman, Danish, returned to the pavilion without opening his account. In the second over, Quinton de Kock was dismissed after scoring seven runs off 10 balls. Naman Dhir also failed to open his account. During the Powerplay, Mumbai Indians could only score 29 runs for the loss of three wickets.

Subsequently, Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav attempted to stabilize the innings, but Tilak Varma was dismissed after scoring 37 runs off 29 balls. The duo shared a 73-run partnership for the fourth wicket, spanning 56 deliveries. Hardik Pandya and Rutherford fell victim to Noor Ahmad on consecutive deliveries. Suryakumar Yadav scored 36 runs off 30 balls. Krish contributed seven runs, while Shardul Thakur could only manage to score 6 runs off 12 balls.

Aided by wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson's (101 not out)—his second century of the season—Chennai Super Kings posted a formidable total of 207 runs for the loss of six wickets against Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League T20 match on Thursday. Samson took 54 balls to reach his fifth IPL century, an innings studded with 10 fours and six sixes. Due to poor shot selection and a lack of concentration, Samson's teammates kept getting dismissed at the other end; however, playing with composure, this Indian wicketkeeper-batsman crafted yet another memorable innings at the Wankhede Stadium.

At one point, the CSK team appeared to be cruising toward a massive total, but they faltered during the middle overs. Apart from Samson, no other batsman in the team could convert a promising start into a substantial score. For Mumbai Indians, Jasprit Bumrah (1 wicket for 31 runs) bowled a tight opening over, yet Samson managed to smash a boundary. Subsequently, he also struck a six, flicking a delivery from Hardik Pandya (0 wickets for 38 runs) off his pads.

CSK got off to a brilliant start. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (22) and Samson plundered 19 runs each during the powerplay—specifically in Hardik's first two overs. Despite the loss of two wickets, the visiting team was in a strong position at 73 runs. It appeared as though Gaikwad was regaining his form; he began by playing a powerful shot to the on-side off Hardik's bowling, followed by a six, resulting in a total of 19 runs scored in that second over.

In the third over, Gaikwad attempted to play a shot against A.M. Ghaznafar (2 wickets for 25 runs), but Tilak Varma took a spectacular catch to dismiss him. For the Mumbai-based players within the CSK squad—Sarfaraz Khan (14) and Shivam Dube (05)—this 'homecoming' proved to be anything but pleasant. Despite Sarfaraz having struck two boundaries on the on-side, Mitchell Santner delivered the very next ball right in line with the stumps. Sarfaraz attempted to execute his 'trademark' sweep shot, but the ball crashed directly into his wickets.

In the ninth over, a delivery from Ghaznafar took an inside edge off the bat of India's all-rounder Dube—who had come out to bat at number four—and slammed straight into the wickets. Dewald Brevis played some impressive shots to score 21 runs off 11 balls but was dismissed by a superb short delivery from Ashwini Kumar (2 wickets for 37 runs). Samson, however, continued to accumulate runs, striking the perfect balance between caution and aggression. In the final over, he smashed a magnificent six over covers off Krish Bhagat's bowling and completed his century by pulling the very last ball. The CSK players took the field wearing black armbands to pay tribute following the passing of teammate Mukesh Choudhary's mother.

How did Akeal Hosein perform?

Chasing a target of 208 runs, the Mumbai team got off to a poor start right from the very first over. In the opening over, on the final delivery, Akeal Hosein sent Danish Malewar back to the pavilion without allowing him to open his account. Meanwhile, in the second over, Mukesh Choudhary dismissed Quinton de Kock after the latter had scored 7 runs. The trend did not stop there; in the third over, Akeal claimed another wicket, dismissing Naman Dhir for a duck as well.

Did the Surya-Tilak Partnership Have Any Effect?

Subsequently, Tilak Varma (37) and Suryakumar Yadav (36) did manage to spend some time at the crease, but Akeal Hosein eventually sent both of them back to the pavilion. Thus, completing his quota of 4 overs, Akeal claimed 4 wickets for just 17 runs, including one maiden over. Meanwhile, Noor Ahmad also chipped in with 2 wickets in his 4 overs.