Sanju Samson returned to form, scoring a brilliant unbeaten 115 and Jamie Overton taking 4 wickets as Chennai Super Kings registered their first win of IPL 2026 in Chepauk on Saturday evening, beating Delhi Capitals by 23 runs. After some quiet play, Samson led from the front, while the bowlers, led by Jamie Overton, sealed the win with a strong performance. Asked to bat first after losing the toss, CSK posted a solid 212/2, thanks to a 113-run partnership between Samson and Ayush Mahatre, who scored a blistering 59 runs.While Mahatre impressed with his strokeplay, Samson paced the innings and stepped up at the right moments, completing his century in 52 balls. It was his fourth IPL century and first for CSK. Even a dropped catch on 55 couldn’t stop him, as he made Delhi pay with a brilliant innings. Samson looked much more confident than in earlier matches, timing the ball cleanly and playing shots all around the ground. His innings was full of beautiful boundaries and big hits, including a standout six over extra cover.Mahatre, meanwhile, showed great promise in allowing a late push from Shivam Dubey before retiring. A strong total gave CSK a strong platform, and their bowlers took full advantage of it.
Flight starts from DC openers
Patham Nissanka and KL Rahul were all guns blazing as they crossed 50 runs in just four overs. Nissanka hit 41 off 18 balls, while Rahul looked fluent before falling to Khalil Ahmed. At 61/1 in five overs, DC looked in control. The momentum changed quickly when Anshul Kamboj removed Nissanka, while debutant Gurjapaneet Singh dismissed Akshar Patel on his first ball.Overton then joined the act, shaking up DC’s middle order by removing Sameer Rizvi. Tristan Stubbs put on a short stand of 45 runs with David Miller, scoring 60 off 38 balls to keep Delhi in the contest. However, Overton strengthened CSK’s grip by dismissing Miller.A quick-fire 19 from Ashutosh Sharma threatened to swing the momentum, but Noor Ahmed removed him at a crucial juncture. Overton also accounted for Aqib Nabi as DC continued to lose wickets at regular intervals.
CSK sealed a dominant win.
With the required rate rising, Stubbs finally fell in the 19th over, caught by Overton, effectively ending DC’s hopes. Kamboj then dismissed Kuldeep Yadav and Lungi Ngidi to wrap up the innings, as Delhi were bundled out for 189 runs.CSK’s all-round performance, led by Overton’s brilliant performance and sharp fielding, helped them snap a six-match losing streak in Chepauk.
