The MA Chidambaram Stadium was a sea of yellow on Sunday, as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) hosted the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 37th match of IPL 2026. While the afternoon heat of Chennai was intense, the atmosphere reached a fever pitch as the home crowd witnessed a historic piece of Indian cricketing history. Despite a challenging start for the Super Kings after GT won the toss and opted to bowl, the day belonged to one man: Sanju Samson, who officially cemented his legacy as a modern-day titan of the league.
Sanju Samson breaks past MS Dhoni with historic IPL feat
Samson, currently in the form of his life, scripted a massive milestone by becoming the fastest Indian batter to reach 5,000 runs in the IPL. Entering the match needing just three runs to join the elite club, Samson didn’t keep the fans waiting. In the second over of the innings, he leaned into a wide delivery from Kagiso Rabada, piercing the point region with a trademark boundary to reach the 5,000-run mark.
Samson is the 10th batter overall to achieve this feat, but his efficiency has set him apart. Reaching the milestone in just 3,555 balls, he eclipsed the records of legendary figures like Suresh Raina (3,620 balls), KL Rahul (3,688 balls), and the icon himself, MS Dhoni (3,691 balls). Globally, he now sits as the third-fastest ever, trailing only AB de Villiers and David Warner.
Though his innings ended prematurely at 11 runs off 15 balls, caught behind by Jos Buttler off Rabada, Samson’s 2026 season remains a statistical marvel. Following a blistering 115* against Delhi and a recent century against Mumbai, Samson has now tallied eight career T20 tons, the second-most by an Indian after Virat Kohli and Abhishek Sharma. With 298 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 172.2, Samson has emerged as the linchpin of the CSK batting.
CSK in trouble after an early collapse against GT
While the milestone was a cause for celebration, the scoreboard told a more sobering story for the Chennai faithful. By the end of the mandatory Powerplay, CSK was reeling at 28/3, struggling to find any rhythm against a relentless Gujarat pace attack. The collapse began when Samson fell in the 4th over, followed immediately by Urvil Patel (4), who was undone by a sharp Rabada delivery. The introduction of Impact Player Sarfaraz Khan failed to stem the flow, as he fell for a duck to Mohammed Siraj.
The Strategic Timeout at 8.2 overs saw CSK languishing at 37/4 after Dewald Brevis (2) was dismissed by the young spinner Manav Suthar. The Titans’ bowling unit remained incredibly disciplined; Siraj and Rabada combined for three wickets in their opening spells, maintaining an economy rate below 5.50.
By the second Strategic Timeout at the 13-over mark, CSK had clawed their way to 66/4. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad anchored the ship with a gritty 35 off 42, while Shivam Dube provided some much-needed muscle with 10 off 8. With the live forecast predicting a modest total of around 125, the Super Kings face an uphill battle to defend their home turf against a formidable GT lineup led by Shubman Gill.
