Samson ton, Overton four-fer fashion CSK's first win

Sanju Samson's first century for Chennai Super Kings set up his team's first win of the season, a 23-run victory over Delhi Capitals at Chepauk. Samson's 115 not out was the first hundred of IPL 2026, powering CSK to 212 for 2. Despite a strong start and a fighting fifty from Tristan Stubbs, Delhi Capitals fell short as Jamie Overton's four-wicket haul sealed the game.

Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 212/2 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 115* (56), Ayush Mhatre 59 (36); Axar Patel 1-39) beat Delhi Capitals 189 in 20 overs (Tristan Stubbs 60 (38), Pathum Nissanka 41 (24); Jamie Overton 4-18, Anshul Kamboj 3-35) by 23 runs.

Samson's 56-ball 115 not out came at a strike rate of 205.36, anchoring the CSK innings. Overton's 4 for 18 then stifled DC's chase, with Stubbs' dismissal in the penultimate over effectively ending Delhi's hopes.

What did Sanju Samson do?
After scores of 9, 7, and 6 in his previous three innings, Samson delivered a match-winning knock. He provided urgency from the start, hitting nine fours in the Powerplay. Despite appearing to have a lower back issue requiring physio attention, he reached a 26-ball fifty soon after Ruturaj Gaikwad (18-ball 15) departed.

How did CSK's innings progress?
CSK were 61/0 in the Powerplay but felt behind the rate, hampered by Gaikwad's struggles. At the halfway mark, they were 88/1. Samson and Ayush Mhatre then accelerated. Samson, dropped by Pathum Nissanka, found boundaries regularly. Mhatre, surviving a run-out chance and a dropped catch, raced to a 27-ball fifty. Their century partnership took CSK to 160 after 15 overs.

After Mhatre was retired out, Shivam Dube struck a 10-ball 20*. Samson brought up his fourth IPL century, becoming the second player after KL Rahul to score hundreds for three different IPL franchises. CSK finished strongly with 39 runs off the last three overs.

How did DC begin the chase?
DC's openers, Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul, started aggressively, passing 50 inside four overs. CSK's bowlers, including Impact Player Akeal Hosein, proved expensive early as DC seized a strong position.

Where did it start going downhill for DC?
CSK struck back quickly. Khaleel Ahmed had Rahul miscue a pull shot. Nissanka was caught soon after, leaving DC 66/2 in the Powerplay. Gurjapneet Singh dismissed Axar Patel with his first IPL ball, and Jamie Overton removed Sameer Rizvi, reducing DC to 76/4 after 8 overs.

Tristan Stubbs fought back with a six off Gurjapneet, but DC were only 91/4 at the 10-over mark. David Miller (17) was bowled by Overton. Ashutosh Sharma hit two sixes before falling to Noor Ahmad. Overton then dismissed Auqib Nabi Dar for his third wicket.

Stubbs reached a 30-ball fifty, bringing the equation down to 42 off 18 balls. However, he fell to Overton, caught at mid-off after being denied a change of gloves mid-over. Anshul Kamboj took two wickets in the final over to complete a clinical CSK victory.

What's next?
With this win, CSK move off the bottom of the table. Their next match is against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on April 14. Delhi Capitals have a six-day break before facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 18.