Sanju Samson’s 'Calmness' Wins MS Dhoni-Like Praise After Maiden CSK Ton: 'I Have Seen No Panic'

IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowling coach Eric Simons heaped praise on Sanju Samson, drawing a comparison to legendary cricketer MS Dhoni.

With the help of Samson’s blistering knock, CSK clinched a convincing 23-run win over Delhi Capitals in the 18th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, April 11.

Samson was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 115 off 56 balls at a strike rate of 205.36. The 31-year-old smashed 15 fours and 4 sixes during his innings.

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Sanju Samson Hailed After Maiden CSK Ton

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Simons described Samson as one of the “calmest” cricketers he has met. He added that the CSK opener doesn’t panic and has “no sense of practising more” in him.

“I’ve had the privilege to spend many years playing and being involved with Dhoni — he’s one of the calmest cricketers I’ve ever come across. And Sanju Samson’s not far behind that. He just understands the game from that perspective. I’ve seen no panic, no sense of practising more, doing more, maybe even less,” Simons told reporters, as quoted by ANI.

Simons further highlighted the importance of Samson’s mindset, praising his ability to bounce back from setbacks.

“When you’ve got the class of a player like him, you know it’s just temporary if you have a bad run of form. Sometimes it’s about luck — he got a great delivery from (Nandre) Burger in one game. That’s just the way it goes: one ball goes for four, another gets edged and caught. There was never any doubt this was coming. The mindset of a cricketer of his stature is important — you’ve just got to keep trusting him, believing in your quality, and he certainly has that in abundance,” he added.

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CSK To Face KKR In Their Upcoming Fixture

Samson has played 181 matches and 176 innings in his IPL career, scoring 4,841 runs at a strike rate of 139.99 and an average of 31.23.

After securing their maiden win of the season, CSK sit ninth in the IPL 2026 standings with two points and a net run rate of -1.532.

CSK will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their next fixture at Chepauk on Tuesday, April 14.