IPL 2026: Time for Sanju Samson to silence doubters
Sanju Samson returns to the Arun Jaitley Stadium, a venue where his international career once teetered. Now a CSK superstar, his high stock is a testament to his T20 World Cup turnaround. He faces a crucial test against Delhi Capitals, needing to replicate his form to secure a spot in India's 2027 ODI World Cup plans.
NEW DELHI: The last time Sanju Samson was here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, his international career was almost on the brink. Pencilled into the Indian XI only because Abhishek Sharma fell ill before the T20 World Cup match against Namibia in Feb, a deflated Samson walked off after scoring 22 off eight balls. On Tuesday, he will be back here as the toast of the nation.
Samson’s counterfeit Chennai Super Kings jerseys will make for the majority of the inventory with the street vendors. Samson has been at the crossroads for much of his career. But seldom has his stock been so high.
His turnaround at the back end of the T20 World Cup was an answer to years of doubts over his consistency. Now that he has cemented himself as the biggest superstar in the CSK XI, it’s time he consolidated his IPL form to run for a spot in India’s 2027 ODI World Cup team. Both DC and CSK are in the logjam in the middle of the table.
The losing team on Tuesday will be on the brink of elimination from the league. Despite scoring two centuries, Samson has 315 runs to his name in nine matches. 130817599 As much as he has been the facesaving force for CSK, his allor-nothing form will frustrate the franchise.