Sanju Samson single-handedly took over the PowerPlay as India stared at a daunting 248-run chase against the West Indies here.

He raced to a 20-ball half-century and looked primed to repeat the heroics at this venue from two years ago, when his century saw India fall just three short of the 300-run mark. But West Indies’ disciplined bowling did the job after Shai Hope’s unbeaten ton laid the foundation for the 24-run win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

After a string of dismissals left India in troubled waters, a resurgence from local boys Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar gave the home team hope before things eventually fell apart. “When Tilak and Nitish were batting, we were still in the game. That is a great thing to have even after losing five wickets… having that kind of control, two young cricketers taking on the pressure and taking on the West Indian bowling line-up,” Samson said after the fourth T20I.

The India opener rued that his own enterprising knock did not come in a winning cause. “I am actually a bit gutted. I definitely wanted to be on the winning side. When you are chasing a score like that, there are no second thoughts — you just have to back your instincts, power game, and that is what I did. So I really enjoyed the knock, but I would have liked to be on the winning side.”

While he felt stiff chases often render anchors obsolete, Samson lauded Hope for going against the grain and marshalling the Windies with big scores. “Hope is playing really well. We need to respect what he has been doing. He has been playing some really good cricketing shots, not taking that much risk, so he is respecting the bowlers as well.”

The past few months have proven to be a microcosm of Sanju Samson’s chequered international career. If his form at the business end of this year’s T20 World Cup — he won the Player-of-the-Tournament award with 321 runs in five innings — was a dazzling high, the tour of the United Kingdom just three months later was a debilitating low. After just two games against Ireland and one against England, which yielded returns of 5, 0 and 1, he made way for teen prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. While Samson came back for the fifth and final T20I against the Englishmen, he had already been omitted for the subsequent tour of Zimbabwe.

Samson’s topsy-turvy ride hasn’t halted. At the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, the 31-year-old from Kerala was back to wielding his willow like a cutlass, scything the Afghanistan attack for a blistering 57 off 22 balls in a chase of 160. In the aftermath, Samson spoke with refreshing candour and endearing wit, and showed no resentment at recent developments.

“After a few failures, you definitely go through a lot as an Indian cricketer. It is not easy to face failures. But that is where my experience comes in. I try to shut out the noise and still try to keep scoring at a high strike rate,” the opener told reporters.

At a time when social media is all-pervasive, how does he stay immune to the outside noise?

“I try to switch off the wi-fi,” he chuckled. “But sometimes the wi-fi switches on and the comments of some former players crop up. It is their choice to say what they want to say. I have become mature and experienced enough to handle that. It does affect you. We are not robots. But I try to be clear. If I was affected by the noise, I wouldn’t be able to play the way I do. Before every attacking shot, I would be thinking 10 times.”

August is the month of festivities in Keralam and it is also the time when the cricket carnival arrives in the capital city.

The Kerala Cricket League (KCL), a project which began as a platform for the State cricketers to showcase their talent, enters an eventful third season and will kick off at the Sports Hub Greenfield stadium on Thursday when Calicut Globstars takes on Thrissur Titans.

The KCL will, however, face a challenge to attract spectators in the absence of its biggest star Sanju Samson, who will miss the entire competition due to prior commitments.

Almost all teams wear a revamped look and the sides starting on even footing will make the tournament interesting. But defending champion Kochi Blue Tigers has managed to keep hold of the key players who helped it win the title last season. Even without Samson, Tigers boast a balanced squad armed with several power hitters.

Aries Kollam Sailors has been the most consistent team in the league. But under new skipper Vatsal Govind, it faces a tough task of maintaining the high standards. Alleppey Ripples made a splash at the auction, splurging ₹11.80 lakh for Sibin Girish. The outfit also acquired Sachin Baby for ₹10 lakh and made him the skipper. After an underwhelming show in the first two editions, Ripples will hope to turn things around.

Titans will be banking on their young brigade to deliver the goods. All-rounder M.S. Akhil will lead the team, which will be looking to progress beyond the semifinals for the first time. Trivandrum Royals hasn’t been able to strike a chord with the fans after a tough time last season. But, a new-look squad under Krishna Prasad will eye a much-improved effort.

Globstars possess an array of match-winners, including captain Rohan S. Kunnummal, Salman Nizar, Krishna Devan and Abdul Basith. They have a history of choking in key games but with one of the better squads, they will be eager to arrest that trend.

The player auction for the third season of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) is expected to spring a few surprises, with some of the biggest names in Kerala cricket going under the hammer on Saturday.  

Explosive batter and IPL star Vishnu Vinod, former Kerala captain Sachin Baby, Vignesh Puthur, under-19 internationals Manav Krishna and Mohammed Ennan, and veteran all-rounder Vinoop Manoharan are among the 139 players up for grabs

However, it is unlikely that any of these players will break Sanju Samson’s record-breaking price of ₹26.80 lakh, which Kochi Blue Tigers paid last season. 

While the six franchises have retained a total of 17 players, they are expected to spend the remaining purse wisely to build their squads. Each franchisee must buy at least four players from Pool A category. 

The total team budget and salary cap of players across all categories remained unchanged from last season.

The 32 players enlisted in Pool A command a base price of ₹3 lakh. Pool B features 37 players with a base price of ₹1.5 lakh. Pool C, which comprises under-19 and club-level cricketers, has the highest representation, with 87 players all carrying a base price of ₹75,000. 

Having retained only Mohammed Azharuddeen, Alleppey Ripples enters the auction with the maximum available budget of ₹42.5 lakh. 

The available purse with the other franchises is as follows: Kochi Blue Tigers (₹41 lakh); Trivandrum Royals (₹39.5 lakh); Aries Kollam Sailors (₹34.5 lakh); Thrissur Titans (₹34.5 lakh); Calicut Globstars (₹33.75 lakh).

Charu Sharma will return as the auctioneer for the third successive season. 

Former Australian captain Aaron Finch praised Sanju Samson’s match-winning performance for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after their dominant eight-wicket win over Delhi Capitals (DC) on Tuesday night in the IPL 2026.

Samson was named Player of the Match for his brilliant 87* off 52 balls, which included seven fours and six sixes, guiding CSK to a comfortable chase of the 156-run target in just 17.3 overs.

His composed knock led the Super Kings to a crucial victory, as they continued their campaign for the playoffs.

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show, Finch reflected on the pressure faced by big-name signings like Samson, especially when joining a high-profile franchise like CSK.

“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, referring to Samson’s early struggles in the tournament.

“They’ve got Sanju Samson, and he’s not performing. Two games in T20 are nothing. To go right through a season ultra-consistent is so difficult,” the former Australian captain said.

Finch acknowledged the immense pressure placed on players like Samson, who are brought into a team with high expectations.

Before last year’s auction, the right-handed batter moved from Rajasthan Royals (RR) to CSK for ₹18 crore, while Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran moved to RR for the 2026 season.

“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,” Finch said.

The former Australian captain pointed out that despite Samson’s impressive form in the latter stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the transition to CSK was always going to be challenging.

“Although he [Samson] had a dream run at the end of the [T20] 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,” Finch said. “There’s 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.”

Finch concluded by praising Samson for overcoming the early challenges and producing a performance that lived up to the expectations.

“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,” Finch said.

After a thumping win over the Capitals, the five-time champions CSK now sit sixth on the points table with five wins from 10 matches.

The young scorer from the Kerala Cricket Association spoke of the two boys who had moved to the city from New Delhi just a couple of days earlier.

“Could you take a look at them?” Sudhir Aly asked Biju George, the SAI coach who conducted training camps at the Govt. Medical College Ground in Thiruvananthapuram and had earned a reputation for nurturing young talent.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star wicketkeeper/batter Sanju Samson etched his name in history books as he completed 5000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL), becoming only the 10th batter to achieve this feat in the tournament’s history.

Samson achieved this feat in his side’s clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the ongoing IPL in Chennai on Sunday (April 26, 2026).

India opener Sanju Samson and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah were on Monday (April 6, 2026) named among the nominees for the ICC Player of the Month award for March following their success at the T20 World Cup.

South Africa batter Connor Esterhuizen completes the shortlist following an outstanding debut T20I series in New Zealand that saw one of the best statistics after five games by anyone from his country.

Samson’s sizzling form towards the end of the T20 World Cup, which earned him the player of the Tournament award, puts him in the fray alongside Bumrah, who was adjudged the player of the match in the final.

Samson did not get to play in the early part of the tournament but was the standout performer in the big games and helped India retain the title.

He struck 97 not out against the West Indies in what was a virtual quarter-final in Kolkata and followed it with knocks of 89 in the semi-final against England in Mumbai and the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.

In the same set of matches, Bumrah grabbed seven wickets at an average of 12.00 and an economy rate of 7.00.

He picked up three wickets in the two matches against the West Indies and England and then produced match-winning figures of four for 15 in four overs against New Zealand in the final.

Esterhuizen scored 200 runs at an average of 50 and a strike-rate of 145.98, helping complete a 3-2 win in New Zealand.

Named player of the series, he reached 551 rating points in the T20I batting rankings, the second highest after five matches by a South Africa player. Esterhuizen reached 39th in the rankings, the fourth-best by any South African after five matches.

History warns us of the paradox of choice and we are often reminded that an overabundance of excellent options is its own kind of prison. The task of choosing six batters and as many bowlers from the embarrassment of riches available in IPL 2026 proved a daunting task.

Statistical stalemates were inevitable in a landscape full of world-beaters, which meant that the final 12-member list was driven by sixth sense.

Sanju Samson (CSK): The elegance with which he wields the bat has made him a perennial favourite for the ‘People’s Choice Award’. The 31-year-old artist, who delivered a masterpiece at the ICC T20 World Cup and won the Lead Actor honours, is primed to extend his purple patch in Chennai’s Yellow.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR): The dashing southpaw has the X-factor to edge ahead in the overcrowded race for a national call-up and a Royal show in the IPL could well trigger it for the 24-year-old batter.

Kohli factor: Royal Challengers can be upbeat knowing that The King will lead the charge in defending the crown.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR

Virat Kohli (RCB): The only batter to score more than 2,000 runs (2,037 runs at an average of 56.58 and strike-rate of 146.54) since the start of IPL 2023, the 37-year-old maestro has not slowed down one bit though T20 batting has gathered pace over the years. Royal Challengers can be upbeat knowing that The King will lead the charge in defending the crown.

Nicholas Pooran (LSG): Since the start of 2024, the Caribbean T20 specialist has smashed 4,671 runs (158 innings at a strike-rate of 155.18) in T20s. The next best (James Vince’s 3,801) puts things in perspective on why the explosive left-hander is one of the most sought-after commodities in franchise cricket.

A 30-minute dose of Head’s fifth-gear batting will be enough to put Sunrisers in the driver’s seat.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA

Travis Head (SRH): Mr. Destruction strikes at a blistering 170.03 in the IPL. With 834 of his 1,146 runs coming through boundaries (126×4, 55×6), a 30-minute dose of the 32-year-old Australian’s fifth-gear batting will be enough to put Sunrisers in the driver’s seat.

Shimron Hetmyer (RR): The confidence gained from acing the No. 3 role in West Indies colours during the T20 World Cup (248 runs at a strike-rate of 186.47) should help him regain his mojo after a couple of quiet IPL seasons.

Jasprit Bumrah (MI): The peerless India pacer’s selection was the most, and perhaps the only, easy one as he is the world’s best bowler by a country mile.

Varun has a point to prove, and he has too much quality to let his recent slump derail his career trajectory.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO

Varun Chakaravarthy (KKR): Though the unorthodox spinner finished as the joint top wicket-taker (14) in the T20 World Cup, his economy rate took a beating (9.25 runs per over). He has enough weapons in his arsenal to make a turnaround.

Yuzvendra Chahal (PBKS): He is the most prolific bowler in the league’s history (221 wickets). With 174 IPL caps, the veteran leg-spinner has the numbers and guile to throw his hat in the ring for an India call-up again.

Rashid Khan (GT): The spell the Afghan cast over the willow-wielders in the IPL has begun to fade. The leg-spinner had a higher-than-usual economy of 8.93 over the last two seasons and only 19 wickets in 27 matches during that period. But, he has the wherewithal to set the record straight.

Trent Boult (MI): The Kiwi left-arm pacer has the premium quality of scalping wickets in the PowerPlay. With 72 of his 143 victims coming in the first six overs, Boult is the second-most lethal IPL bowler in the PowerPlay (only behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 80 wickets).

Lungi Ngidi (DC): He may not even get to feature in all matches if pace ace Mitchell Starc receives his NOC from Cricket Australia. However, the control and accuracy with which he dished out his loopy slower balls and yorkers against India in the T20 World Cup should be proof enough that he is more than just a back-up option.