‘Sanju Is Our Backbone’: Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Big Praise for Sanju Samson

Ruturaj Gaikwad called Sanju Samson the ‘backbone’ of CSK after his key role in winning over the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026.

Sanju Samson continued his brilliant IPL 2026 form with an unbeaten 87 as Chennai Super Kings defeated Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets on Tuesday. The win lifted CSK to fifth place in the standings and kept their playoff hopes alive.

Samson had earlier scored a century against Delhi at Chepauk and once again dominated the same opposition during the chase of 156. He now has 402 runs from 10 innings and sits fifth in the Orange Cap race.

Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad described Sanju Samson as the “backbone” of the batting unit and praised his consistency. He also credited bowlers Akeal Hosein and Jamie Overton for controlling games quietly under pressure. Gaikwad backed young pacer Anshul Kamboj to recover strongly despite an off day.

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“On the batting side, I would say, more than grateful to have Sanju in the side after the tournament he had even in the World Cup and even now. So obviously he’s backbone now,” Gaikwad said during the post-match presentation on Tuesday.

“…bowling is something which wins you tournaments. And to have Akeal (Hosein) and Jamie (Overton) do that job when everyone is going for, more than 10-12 (runs per over). They’re just coming in silently and doing the job. It gives you a lot of confidence. And then Anshul Kamboj is there as well who obviously is a smart bowler and knows what his strength is. Yes, he had an off day today, but I feel it’s someone who’s already upset about it and eager to come back,” he added.

In the match, Delhi chose to bat first but lost early wickets, including Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul. The side slipped to 69/5 in the 11th over before Tristan Stubbs and Sameer Rizvi helped them recover to 155/7.

CSK lost Gaikwad early in the chase, while Axar Patel dismissed Urvil Patel soon after. Samson then controlled the innings alongside Kartik Sharma as the unbeaten pair guided Chennai home comfortably.

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