CSK locked horns with GT in Match 37 of IPL 2026 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The crowd came hoping for a big CSK performance, but they also ended up witnessing a major personal milestone from captain Sanju Samson.
Even though Chennai faced early pressure after Gujarat Titans won the toss and chose to bowl first, the spotlight quickly shifted to Samson. The wicketkeeper-batter entered the match needing only three runs to complete 5,000 IPL runs. He wasted no time in getting there.
In the second over of the innings, Samson leaned into a wide ball from Kagiso Rabada and punched it through the point region for four. That boundary was more than just another classy shot. It officially took him to the 5,000-run mark in the IPL and placed him among the league’s elite batters.
Sanju Samson Beats MS Dhoni’s Record in IPL 2026
This milestone became even more special because Samson broke a record previously held by one of the biggest names in IPL history- MS Dhoni. Samson became the fastest Indian batter to score 5,000 IPL runs in terms of balls faced.
He reached the landmark in just 3,555 balls. That number puts him ahead of several legendary players. Suresh Raina had reached the mark in 3,620 balls. KL Rahul took 3,688 balls. Dhoni needed 3,691 balls. Samson has now gone past all of them.
That is a serious statement from a player who has often divided opinion over the years. Some questioned his consistency. Others felt he never fully delivered on his talent. But numbers like these speak loudly. Samson has not only scored runs; he has done it at a rapid pace.
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Samson’s achievement is not just limited to Indian cricket. On the global IPL list, he now ranks as the third-fastest batter overall to reach 5,000 runs. Only AB de Villiers and David Warner got there quicker.
That is elite company. Both de Villiers and Warner dominated the IPL for years, and Samson now finds himself in the same bracket. It shows how effective and dangerous he has become in T20 cricket.
Samson did not go on to play a long innings in this match. He scored 11 runs from 15 balls before Rabada dismissed him, with Jos Buttler taking the catch behind the stumps. Gujarat Titans would have been happy to remove him early.
Still, the dismissal did not take away from the bigger picture. This was Samson’s day because records like this do not come often. Samson’s current season has been one of his best. He already smashed an unbeaten 115 against Delhi earlier in the tournament. He also scored a century against Mumbai, proving that he can dominate top attacks under pressure.
So far in IPL 2026, he has scored 304 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 172.2 and an average of 50.67. Talking about the game, CSK failed to get the job done at home. They struggled to dictate terms from the word go and then found some momentum later on in the game through Ruturaj Gaikwad. The CSK captain scored an unbeaten 74 off 60 balls with the help of six fours and 4 hits over the fence.
CSK posted 158/7 in their quota of 20 overs. In reply, the Ahmedabad-based franchise aced the run-chase in 16.4 overs and won the game by 8 points. As things stand, CSK are sixth on the table with three wins and five defeats. The five-time IPL champions will play against their rivals Mumbai Indians in the next game at home on May 2, Saturday.
