Sanju Samson continued his excellent form in the IPL 2026 match between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. The right-handed batsman once again displayed his simple yet effective approach: watch the ball closely and, when in rhythm, send it sailing over the boundary.
Samson began his innings cautiously, facing the first over from Mohammed Siraj and managing just a single run. However, he quickly shifted gears in the next over against Gujarat Titans' pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada. He cracked a clean boundary off Rabada and, in the process, reached a major milestone: 5000 runs in the Indian Premier League.
This achievement placed him in elite company, but what stood out even more was the speed at which he reached the landmark. Samson became one of the fastest batters in IPL history to get to 5000 runs, surpassing several big names in the format.
Fastest to 5000 IPL Runs (Fewest Balls)
- 3288 - AB de Villiers
- 3554 - David Warner
- 3555 - Sanju Samson *
- 3620 - Suresh Raina
- 3688 - KL Rahul
- 3691 - MS Dhoni
AB de Villiers tops the chart, reaching the mark in 3288 balls, followed by David Warner in 3554 balls. Samson now joins this elite group, going past Suresh Raina (3620 balls), KL Rahul (3688 balls), and MS Dhoni (3691 balls), underlining his consistency and strike rate in the league.
Most Runs in IPL History
| Player | Matches | Runs | Highest | Average | Balls Faced | SR | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli (RCB) | 274 | 8989 | 113* | 39.95 | 6720 | 133.76 | 8 | 66 |
| Rohit Sharma (DC/MI) | 276 | 7183 | 109* | 29.92 | 5417 | 132.60 | 2 | 48 |
| Shikhar Dhawan (Multiple) | 222 | 6769 | 106* | 35.25 | 5324 | 127.14 | 2 | 51 |
| David Warner (Multiple) | 184 | 6565 | 126 | 40.52 | 4697 | 139.77 | 4 | 62 |
| KL Rahul (Multiple) | 152 | 5579 | 152* | 46.84 | 4029 | 138.47 | 6 | 42 |
| Suresh Raina (CSK/GL) | 205 | 5528 | 100* | 32.51 | 4043 | 136.73 | 1 | 39 |
| MS Dhoni (CSK/RPS) | 278 | 5439 | 84* | 38.30 | 3957 | 137.45 | 0 | 24 |
| Ajinkya Rahane (Multiple) | 205 | 5184 | 105* | 30.31 | 4130 | 125.52 | 2 | 34 |
| AB de Villiers (DC/RCB) | 184 | 5162 | 133* | 39.70 | 3403 | 151.68 | 3 | 40 |
| Sanju Samson (CSK/DC/RR) | 185 | 5008 | 119 | 31.69 | 3562 | 140.59 | 5 | 26 |
| Chris Gayle (Multiple) | 142 | 4965 | 175* | 39.72 | 3333 | 148.96 | 6 | 31 |
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bowl first, hoping early conditions would help his attack. GT came into the match placed seventh on the points table with six points from three wins in seven games, while CSK sat fifth with the same points but a better net run rate.
Both teams made a change for this crucial mid-table clash. GT included Arshad Khan to strengthen their bowling options, while CSK handed a spot in the playing XI to Urvil Patel, looking to add more balance to their lineup.
Playing XIs
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Manav Suthar.
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (w), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh.
