Sanju Samson’s turnaround in IPL 2026 has earned praise from Aaron Finch, with the Chennai Super Kings batter emerging as a key figure after a slow start to the season.
Following his move to CSK in a trade involving Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, Samson began with three single-digit scores. However, he has since recovered strongly, registering three scores of fifty or more in his next seven innings.
Samson Responds After Early Struggles
His unbeaten 87 off 52 balls against Delhi Capitals on a challenging surface marked a significant moment in his season, underlining his growing importance to the side.
Finch highlighted the pressure Samson faced after joining a new franchise.
“He missed out the first couple of games, didn’t he? All of a sudden there was a massive panic that what has CSK done,” Finch said. “They’ve got Sanju Samson and he’s not performing. Two games in T20 is nothing. To go right through a season ultra-consistent is so difficult. You probably can’t underestimate the pressure on somebody going into a team like CSK. Being a huge marquee signing particularly when you have traded someone like Jadeja out of the side as well.”
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Handling Expectations at a New Franchise
Finch also spoke about the mental challenges of adapting to expectations and making an immediate impact.
“Although he [Samson] had a dream run at the end of the World Cup and then he’s come in [at CSK] and missed out a couple of times, there will still be some pride and pressure and almost some feeling that you can tend to overplay it slightly in your own head that you want to get to a new franchise and really lay down a marker and say ‘I’m here’.
“This is what you’re traded for and the superstar that you’ve been crying out for. So, the fact that he’s batting on a different level is great to see.”
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Numbers Reflect Strong Form
After being named Player of the Tournament in India’s successful T20 World Cup campaign, Samson has carried that form into the IPL. He has scored 402 runs in ten innings at an average of 57.42 and a strike rate of 167.50.
A Shift in Consistency
Former India cricketer Deep Dasgupta pointed out that Samson’s current run marks a shift from his previous seasons, where consistency had been an issue.
“This is the version of Sanju Samson we’ve been wanting to see for quite a few years now,” Dasgupta said. “So, every season you see a couple of those innings and go ‘wow, what a player!’ but then it would only end up being those couple of innings. But now, starting from the World Cup, he’s been so consistent and this season, well, this is the only fifty he’s got. Every time he goes past fifty, he gets a hundred and he stays not out. Again, he stays not out on 87, brilliant innings. It just seemed like he was playing on a different surface.”
CSK Stay in the Hunt
After their victory over Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings remained sixth on the points table but are only two points behind the teams placed from second to fifth.
With Samson now delivering consistently, CSK will aim to build momentum as the competition for playoff places tightens.
