IPL 2026: Samson's game awareness is excellent; when he gets going, he makes it count, says Kumble

New Delhi, April 12 Former India captain Anil Kumble has hailed Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 115 against Delhi Capitals as a masterclass in technical discipline, specifically pointing to the batsman's commitment to playing straight and not with a horizontal bat as the foundation of his success.

Samson notched up the first hundred of the IPL 2026 season after a lean run in his first three games for Chennai Super Kings, and played a key role in the side winning by 23 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

“You can see from his wagon wheel that he plays all around the ground. It’s not just that he has a strong off-side or a strong on-side. What was really impressive was that he was looking to play straight, not with a horizontal bat.

“When your initial thought process is to play with a straight bat, and then you make those adjustments when a bowler pitches it short, it becomes much easier for a batter to score runs. His game awareness is excellent, and when he gets going, he makes it count.

“We saw that in the T20 World Cup. He didn’t convert those 90s into 100s, but it was different in this game. It was his first hundred for CSK and his fourth overall, a big relief for CSK fans, and also for Sanju Samson, as there was a lot of pressure on him after a tough first three games,” said Kumble on JioHotstar.

Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara, who was associated with CSK in the IPL 2021 season, weighed in on how such a win will be a confidence booster for the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side.

“If you look at the CSK camp, the body language of each and every player, including the support staff, suggested that they needed this win desperately. They will be relieved, and now that they have their first win on the board, they will start believing they have a chance. Once you start winning in the IPL, it’s always about momentum.

“You begin to believe that you can make it to the playoffs, because when you are losing, no matter how hard you try to maintain a good environment, there is always some negativity. But when you start winning, everyone begins to think positively,” he added.

--IANS

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