CSK's winning start: Samson and Overton lead the charge

Sanju Samson and Jamie Overton led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to their first win of IPL 2026, defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) by 23 runs. Samson scored an unbeaten 115 off 56 balls, hitting 15 fours and four sixes, while Overton took 4-18 in four overs. Ayush Mhatre also contributed with 59 off 36 balls, and CSK posted a massive 212/2. In response, DC were bowled out for 189, with Tristan Stubbs scoring 60 off 38 balls and Pathum Nissanka adding 41 off 24 balls. A fifty from Ayush Mhatre, before he was retired out, and a cameo from Shivam Dube took CSK up to 212 for 2. That total, however, appeared smaller when DC's openers Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul blazed past fifty in the fourth over of their chase. CSK then struck thrice in the next three overs to send the chase spiralling out of DC's control. Samson and Gaikwad's contrasting starts are telling - Samson's aggressive 19-ball 43 vs Gaikwad's cautious 17-ball 13. Samson's hitting 9 fours in the powerplay shows his intent, while Gaikwad's struggled to find his groove. Gaikwad's first-15-ball strike rate of 104.54 in four innings this season is the lowest among 20 batters who have opened at least twice. When Gaikwad was itching to break free after the powerplay, Axar Patel darted one into the red-soil pitch and cramped the batter on the pull, having him splice a catch to deep midwicket for 15 off 18 balls. Sanju Samson's impressive batting skills were on full display as he cleverly handled Lungi Ngidi's slower ball, a variation Ngidi perfected under Dwayne Bravo's guidance during his time at Chennai Super Kings. Samson not only picked the slower ball but also expertly flayed it away past sweeper cover. When Ngidi tried to catch him off guard with an on-pace short ball outside off, Samson responded with finesse, opening the face of the bat and dinking it between the keeper and short third for four more. But it wasn't until the 11th over that he hit a six, which was also CSK's first six on the day. When T Natarajan missed a yorker and bowled a full-toss, Samson slugged him high and far over midwicket. In all, Samson took the left-arm seamer for 33 off 13 balls. It also included the edged four that brought him his hundred in the 18th over. This was Samson's fourth ton in the IPL. Only Virat Kohli (8), Jos Buttler (7), Chris Gayle (6) and KL Rahul (5) have hit more hundreds than Samson in the league. DC could've cut Samson's knock short on 52 had Nissanka not dropped a catch at long-off. Mhatre raised his fifty off 27 balls, but was retired out after he managed only eight off his last nine balls. Samson and Dube then combined to push CSK past 210. DC's opening salvo didn't quite go as planned, with Akeal Hosein's nerves showing in the first over. Two front-foot no-balls led to Nissanka hitting a free hit for four, and Hosein ended up conceding 20 runs in his powerplay overs. That didn't help CSK's cause, and he didn't get another bowler. Left-arm quick Gurjapneet Singh then marked his IPL debut with a first-ball wicket. He darted one short and wide, having Axar slicing it to point, where Sarfaraz Khan dived to his right and plucked the ball out of thin air. Overton then hit a hard length and had Sameer Rizvi holing out to deep midwicket for 6 off 19 balls. Overton kept hitting a hard length and made life harder for DC's middle order. Tristan Stubbs' late fightback fell short, but what a finish! 😮 Overton's pace and precision brought Stubbs down in the penultimate over, and Kamboj sealed the win in the final over, sending the crowd wild. CSK's first win of the season, and what a thriller.