KOLKATA, APRIL 12, 2026: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) registered their first victory of the season against Delhi Capitals (DC) by 23 runs, powered by a glorious 115-run knock off just 56 balls from Sanju Samson, in the 18th match of IPL 2026 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. CSK finally bounced back in the tournament after three consecutive defeats, while DC suffered back-to-back losses.
In today’s match, both teams made a few changes to their playing XIs. CSK brought back Dewald Brevis after recovery from injury, while Gurjapneet Singh replaced Matt Henry. On the other side, DC included Aqib Nabi, who made his IPL debut, and Ashutosh Sharma replaced Nitish Rana. The match began with DC winning the toss and opting to bowl first. CSK opened the innings with Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad. In the previous few matches, the opening pair had struggled to make an impact, but today Sanju Samson returned to his form and played a magnificent innings. He produced a brilliant knock of 115 runs off just 56 balls, striking 15 fours and 4 sixes. Samson completely dominated the powerplay, scoring 45 runs off only 19 deliveries, helping CSK race to 61/0 in the first six overs. Ruturaj Gaikwad supported him from the other end with a steady approach. After the powerplay, Gaikwad was dismissed by DC captain Axar Patel, with Pathum Nissanka taking the catch. Youngster Ayush Mhatre then came in at number three and built a strong partnership with Samson. Together, they added 113 runs in 67 balls. DC had several chances to break the partnership but failed to capitalize, including missed run-out opportunities and dropped catches. Ayush Mhatre played an excellent innings before being retired out in the 18th over after scoring 59 off 36 balls. Shivam Dube then came in, and along with Samson, finished strongly, adding quick runs in the final overs. CSK ended their innings at 212/2 in 20 overs.
In the second innings, DC openers KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka gave a solid start, scoring 61 runs in the first four overs and putting CSK under early pressure. However, KL Rahul was dismissed for 18 runs off 10 balls, caught by Jamie Overton off Khaleel Ahmed. Samir Rizvi came in at number three, but soon after, Nissanka was dismissed by debutant Gurjapneet Singh, with a brilliant catch taken by Sarfaraz Khan. Axar Patel also fell cheaply, scoring just 1 run off 2 balls, bowled by Gurjapneet Singh, who made history by becoming the 11th bowler in IPL history to take a wicket with his very first delivery on debut. DC’s innings continued to collapse. Rizvi was dismissed for 6 runs off 9 balls. David Miller tried to rebuild the innings alongside Tristan Stubbs, but Miller was dismissed for 17 runs off 14 balls by Jamie Overton. Ashutosh Sharma, playing as an impact player, scored 19 runs off 10 balls but was eventually dismissed by Noor Ahmad. At that stage, DC needed 64 runs off 31 balls, but Tristan Stubbs was their last hope. He fought hard and scored 60 runs off 38 balls, but was eventually dismissed by Jamie Overton, caught by Noor Ahmad. After that, wickets fell quickly, and DC were bowled out, with Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, and T. Natarajan losing their wickets in succession.
CSK’s bowling looked completely transformed compared to their previous matches. Their fielding was sharp and energetic, with excellent catching and commitment across the field. Jamie Overton was outstanding, taking 4 crucial wickets while giving away just 14 runs in 4 overs. Anshul Kamboj also picked up 3 wickets for 35 runs. Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, and Gurjapneet Singh took one wicket each. Sanju Samson was named Player of the Match for his brilliant century.
With this win, CSK earned 2 points and moved to 9th position in the standings. This was a strong comeback victory for CSK against DC. CSK will play their next match against KKR at the same stadium on April 14, while DC will face RCB on April 18. It will be interesting to see whether CSK can build on this momentum and continue their revival, and how DC respond after back-to-back defeats.
