MA Chidambaram Stadium was a sea of yellow like Sunday Chennai Super Kings (CSK) hosted Gujarat Titans (GT) In his 37th match IPL 2026. Although Chennai’s afternoon heat was intense, the atmosphere reached fever pitch as the home crowd witnessed a historic piece of Indian cricket history. Despite a tough start for the Super Kings after GT won the toss and picked up the trophy, the day belonged to one man: Sanju Samsonofficially cementing his legacy as the modern titan of the league.
Sanju Samson surpasses MS Dhoni with historic IPL feat
Samson, who is currently in the form of his life, achieved a major milestone by becoming the fastest Indian batsman to reach 5000 runs in the IPL. Entering the match needing just three runs to join the elite club, Samson did not keep the fans waiting. In the second part of the innings, he leaned towards a wide shot Kagiso RabadaPuncturing the dot region with a trademark boundary to reach the 5000 run mark.
Samson is the 10th batsman overall to achieve the feat, but his efficiency has set him apart. Reaching the milestone with just 3555 balls, he surpassed the records of legendary figures like him. Suresh Raina (3,620 balls), KL Rahul (3,688 balls)and the icon itself, MS Dhoni (3,691 balls). Globally, it is now third fastest, trailing only behind AB de Villiers and David Warner.
Although his innings ended prematurely at 11 runs, 15 balls were left behind. If Buttler Rabada off, Samson’s 2026 season remains a statistical marvel. After his 115* against Delhi and a last-gasp century against Mumbai, Samson now has eight T20 tons in his career, the second most by any Indian. Virat Kohli and Abhishek Sharma. With 298 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 172.2, Samson has emerged as the focal point of CSK’s batting.
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CSK are in trouble after their early collapse against GT
While the milestone was cause for celebration, the scoreboard told a more sobering story for the Chennai faithful. At the end of the mandatory Powerplay, CSK were reeling at 28/3, struggling to find any rhythm against the relentless Gujarat pace attack. The fall began after Samson fell for the 4th time Urvil Patel (4), overturned by a sharp Rabada delivery. Impact Player application Sarfaraz Khan As he fell for a duck, failed to stop the flow Muhammad Siraj.
A Strategic Timeout at 8.2 saw CSK slump to 37/4. Devald Brewis (2) fired by a young spinner Manav Suthar. The Titans bowling unit remained incredibly disciplined; Sirac and Rabada combined for three wickets in their opening spells, keeping the economy rate under 5.50.
CSK reached 66/4 during the second Strategic Timeout of 13 overs. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad While the ship anchored with 35 off 42 Shivam Dubey Provided some much needed muscle with 8 off 10. Predicted to be a modest total of around 125 according to the live forecast, Super Kings face an uphill battle to defend their home ground against a formidable GT pack led by him. Shubman Gill.
