Ruturaj Gaikwad called Sanju Samson the backbone of Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) batting line-up after the latter made a match-winning unbeaten 87 in Delhi on Tuesday. It helped CSK beat Delhi Capitals by eight wickets.
This was Samson's third score of 80+ in IPL 2026 with his new franchise and whenever he has crossed 40, CSK have won. This comes as a continuation of his strong form in the back-end of the 2026 T20 World Cup where Samson was the player of the tournament in India's triumph.
"On the batting side," Ruturaj said in the post-match presentation, "I would say, more than grateful to have Sanju in the side after the tournament he had even in the World Cup and even now. So, obviously, he's a backbone now."
The defining feature of Samson's batting, his stillness, went missing at the start of the World Cup. His initial movement of sitting deep in the crease left him vulnerable against fuller balls.
He overcame the issues during a match-winning 97 not out against West Indies in a virtual quarter-final and things then fell in place. How has Samson done it?
"We actually try to find out what works really well for you," Samson said after the game, "and you try to stick to the basics and you trust your hands to do the job in this format. So I think I've been trying to do that from the last two-three months. I've been working a bit on my initial movement and it has been coming off nicely."
"Yeah, I've been doing it [staying back in the crease] from the last, three to five years, so I think comfort definitely plays a huge role in your mindset and the confidence which you have to go in batting. And then definitely it's a tactical move as well. So according to the bowlers and the wicket, I try to, move around a bit."
CSK, now on ten points, are sixth on the table. But they are only two points behind the teams placed between second and fifth. They will aim to move up the table further in their next two games as those are against bottom-placed Lucknow Super Giants consecutively - home and away - on May 10 and May 15.