Kartik Tyagi didn’t just bowl fast—he sort of redirected the whole mood of the CSK innings. One moment Sanju Samson looked set to keep pushing, the next he was suddenly stuck, as Tyagi broke through and rattled the stumps.
It’s the kind of wicket that feels louder than it should. The crack of contact, the quick scramble back to the crease—somebody in the crowd would’ve definitely been holding their breath right then.
CSK had bought Samson expecting him to add power to the top order, and yes, also be an alternative wicketkeeper with MS Dhoni absent. But this season, it’s been different in the most useful way: Samson has basically turned into their main gloveman, while also taking ownership with the bat. After a very fine knock against the Delhi Capitals, where he finished with a massive unbeaten century that pushed CSK to their first points in IPL 2026, he carried that confidence right into this clash.
For a little while, the plan seemed to work. After early carnage from Ayush Mhatre, Samson was the man trying to take the Chennai innings further deep. Dewald Brevis, playing his first match with the bat this season, didn’t end up providing the support Samson needed—so Samson had to do the attacking, single-handedly, and that’s usually when bowlers get their openings. He went after Kartik Tyagi too, and there was an early hint: a slower ball outside the off-stump that gave Samson a quick look at what might be coming.
Then Tyagi changed gears—properly. Samson tried to repeat the pattern on consecutive deliveries, but Tyagi finally unleashed his best weapon: sheer pace. He fired one at the stumps at a fiery 148 km/h, and it was over fast. Samson was bamboozled, trapped into the “you miss, I hit” kind of battle, as Tyagi dismantled the batter’s leg stump.
Even with the missed half-century, Samson’s season momentum hasn’t disappeared. Following his century, he made 48 runs while striking at 150, and although this time he didn’t get to the 50, the numbers still look loud: Samson has amassed 185 runs across five games in this IPL. That puts him 5th on the Orange Cap board, replacing RR opener Yashasvi Jaiswal—so, yeah, CSK lost a key moment, but they haven’t lost the storyline of Samson being right there in it.
And while this wicket matters, the larger question keeps hovering over CSK right now: can they take advantage of Chepauk again? They’ve been historically powerful at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, with spin-friendly conditions and, more than anything, a huge CSK cheer in the air—especially when the batters start rolling. In the two former matches at this venue, CSK scored 200+ runs on both occasions, and they also conceded 200+ runs to Punjab Kings, who chased the double-century target against them. So with a promising powerplay score already in play, the expectation isn’t subtle: CSK will be aiming to push past 200 once more—though KKR haven’t shown the calibre to chase such big totals in this edition of the IPL. Whether Samson stays on the same track after this hiccup… well, that’s the part people will watch closely next.
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