Former Indian batter Ambati Rayudu has heaped praise on Sanju Samson after he scored a brilliant knock of 101 runs off just 54 balls against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday to help his team post a par score of 207 runs on the board. CSK registered a comprehensive 103-run win and Samson was awarded Player of the Match.

The flamboyant batter scored 10 fours and six maximums in his knock as he scored his runs at a strike rate of 187.04. Samson has scored 293 runs in seven matches of IPL 2026 at an average of 58.60 and a strike rate of 178.65 and he is currently the third highest run-getter in the tournament.

Rayudu, the former CSK batter, reckons the franchise would have struggled if Samson had not played such a knock. None of the other CSK batters could even breach the 25-run mark.

Ambati Rayudu said on ESPN Cricinfo, “He was very calm and composed. He did not take many risks, but he was good enough to put almost every ball away. He controlled the innings. It’s not a great batting line-up. They don’t have the confidence right now. He knew that once he was set, he had to take it deep. He has done a fantastic job. If not for his innings, CSK would have really struggled.”

On the other hand, former New Zealand fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan praised Samson for using the bowlers’ pace to score his runs in the third-man region and reckons MI were slow to react.

He said, “I just think the way he opened the blade to hit boundaries past third man, MI were a bit slow to react to how he was trying to play in those phases. He was using the pace and wasn’t trying to go after the ball. They kept that guy up and probably lost 20-30 runs in that area. It was good tactical batting.”

Chennai Super Kings will next take on Gujarat Titans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Sunday.