Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 24 : Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Sanju Samson expressed delight after scoring a match-winning century against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium, calling it a special moment in his career following his Player of the Match performance in IPL 2026 on Thursday night.
Speaking after CSK's 103-run victory over MI in El Clasico, Samson said he focused on reading the conditions rather than pre-planning his innings, especially as the ball swung early and became tricky to bat on after the powerplay.
"Feels great to score a century in Wankhede vs MI. I am just looking at the conditions. The ball was swinging around and holding a bit. After the power play, we kept losing wickets. I thought it's important for a settled batsman to bat through. The game tells you what to do. You don't have to be premeditating. With the experience I have, the team comes first," Samson said during the post-match presentation.
The CSK batter further stressed the importance of adaptability and responsibility in a young side, adding that the team's response after a string of losses was encouraging.
"It is my responsibility to understand the game. It's a young team, but the attitude we've shown after three losses is commendable. Every game is important; we need to be ready and enjoy," he noted.
Samson also reflected on the atmosphere at the Wankhede Stadium, calling it a special experience while playing for CSK. "It's all new for me, so much yellow in Wankhede," he added.
The Super Kings registered a dominant 103-run victory over MI, powered by a sensational century from Samson and a match-winning bowling performance led by Akeal Hosein.
CSK posted a commanding 207/6, with Samson smashing a fluent 101 off 54 balls, before their bowlers dismantled MI's batting unit. Akeal Hosein starred with a four-wicket haul (4/17), while Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Jamie Overton, Anshul Kamboj and Gurjapneet Singh also chipped in as MI were bundled out for 104.
With this result, CSK climbed to fifth place in the IPL 2026 standings.
CSK's dominant 103-run victory over MI also went into the record books as their biggest win in terms of runs in IPL history. They surpassed their previous record, a 97-run win against Kings XI Punjab (Now Punjab Kings) in Chennai during the 2015 season.
For MI, the defeat marked their heaviest loss in IPL history by runs. Their earlier worst margin of defeat was an 87-run loss to the Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur during the 2013 season. It also became their biggest defeat at the Wankhede Stadium, surpassing a 39-run loss to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2015.
The total of 104 all out is now MI's lowest score against CSK in IPL history, going past their 136/8 at Dubai in the 2021 edition. Overall, CSK have now won five of the last six encounters against MI since 2023.