Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch heaped praise on Sanju Samson after CSK claimed a thumping eight-wicket win against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Tuesday. Chasing a below-par score of 156, Samson scored a match-winning knock of 87 runs off just 52 balls.

The CSK opener scored eight fours and seven sixes in his fine knock and was awarded Player of the Match. Samson added a fine alliance of 114 runs off just 66 balls with rookie batter Kartik Sharma, who continued his rich form to score 41 runs. 

Samson has scored 402 runs in 10 matches of IPL 2026 at an average of 57.43 and a strike rate of 167.50.

Aaron Finch said on ESPN Cricinfo, “Although he had a dream run at the end of the 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 and 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’.

“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 added.

On the other hand, former Indian wicket-keeper bat Deep Dasgupta said we all have been waiting to see this ‘consistent’ version of Sanju Samson.

Dasgupta said, “This is the version of Sanju Samson we’ve been wanting to see for quite a few years now. So, every season you see couple of those innings and go ‘wow, what a player!’ but then it would only end up being those couple of innings. But now, starting from the World Cup, he’s been so consistent and [in] this season, well, this is the only fifty he’s got. Every time he goes past fifty, he gets a hundred and he stays not out. Again, he stays not out on 87, brilliant innings.”

Chennai Super Kings will next take on Lucknow Super Giants at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Sunday