Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad CHENNAI: More than a month ago, Sanju Samson returned to India’s line-up against Zimbabwe in the Super-8 stage of the World Cup, scoring a blistering 24 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. He followed it up with three match-winning knocks in consecutive games, eventually being named “Player of the Tournament” as India lifted the World Cup.On Friday, the wicketkeeper-palte will return to Chepauk in yellow.
Watch
CSK is organizing a fan engagement event in Chepauk ahead of IPL 2026 Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!His CSK debut yielded just six runs, but he will be eager to find the same pressure he got during the India-Zimbabwe clash when the Chepauk crowd lifted him with deafening support. Against the Punjab Kings, Samson will look to ride on that energy again and spark their campaign into life.His opening partner and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was quick to heap praise on the 31-year-old Kerala native.“I congratulated him on his first boundary for a yellow. As a lad from the south, I knew he would always be welcome here. And I’m delighted to have him in my team. (He’s) A player with a lot of experience, a lot of caliber and certainly someone I can always go up to. So you know, he’s a good addition. Hopefully we’ll have many more partnerships.
