Sanju Samson did not have an ideal start to his IPL journey with his new franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), as the right-handed batsman was clean-lined by Nandre Burger when he played against his former team Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Monday.Samson was bowled by Nandre Burger on a leg sweep attempt. The delivery with a speed of 140.2 km/hr moved away and hit the stump. He scored 6 runs off 7 balls in his first innings for CSK.Samson’s first innings in yellow against the side he made his name with was soon cut short.It was also the first time since 2020 that Samson did not register a score of 50 or more in his opening match of the IPL season.
- 74 (32) vs. CSK, 2020
- 119 (63) vs PBKS, 2021
- 55 (27) vs. SRH, 2022
- 55 (32) vs. SRH, 2023
- 82* (52) vs LSG, 2024
- 66 (37) vs SRH, 2025
- 6 (7) vs. RR, 2026*
Ahead of IPL 2026, RR and CSK completed a deal that saw Samson move to Chennai while Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran went the other way. Samson was with Rajasthan Royals for 11 years before the move.Earlier, Rajasthan Royals (RR) won the toss and opted to bat first against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season on Monday.After winning the toss, RR captain Riyan Parag said the wet conditions from the recent rain was why he opted to bowl first. At the time of writing, CSK were reduced to 30 for 3 in four overs as Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger wreaked havoc in Guwahati, sending Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ayush Mhatre back cheaply.
