As Sanju Samson begins a new IPL chapter as CSK’s opener after World Cup success, a breakdown of numbers that capture a paradox

Since 2020, Samson (1952 in 60 innings) is well clear of the next-best No. 3, his India captain Suryakumar Yadav (1407 in 46).

Curiously, Samson’s record-breaking blast as an opener en route to India’s T20 World Cup triumph – coupled with his three T20I tons in 2024 – are in contradiction to his IPL exploits at the top of the order. A new IPL home and the World Cup redemption mean that Samson will begin his stint with the Chennai Super Kings as an opener, according to his new skipper and opening partner Ruturaj Gaikwad. It makes for an interesting chapter in the Kerala batter’s IPL career, with a blend of contrasts standing between him joining the league’s most efficient openers.

Of the 177 games in the IPL, Samson has opened the batting only 31 times, averaging a sub-par 26.1 with a middling 137.36 strike rate. But if his chilling reinvention in the World Cup is anything to go by, the Kerala batter has glimpsed the possibilities of his best versions at the top.

Samson’s current avatar has been rewired in multiple ways to maximise the batting Powerplays. As an opener for India, it was his rejuvenated scoring that bolstered India’s chances in the T20 World Cup knockouts this year. In only five innings, Samson pumped 144 runs in the Powerplay. He scored at 197.26 with 12 sixes in the phase, the best for India and the second-highest among all batters in the World Cup.

Batting predominantly at three in the IPL Powerplays over the last four seasons, Samson had produced similar stability playing for the Rajasthan Royals. He has scored 504 runs in all in the first six since 2022, 315 of which have come from No. 3. He averages 84 in the phase, only bettered by Sai Sudharsan (96.29) across the previous four editions, effectively crossing the Powerplay in 33 of 39 innings. It sets up Samson and his side more often for skyscraping totals, exemplified on the international stage by his twin scores of 89, powering India past 250 in the semi-final and final of the World Cup.

Combining his IPL No.3 nous with his India opening exploits will also mean CSK can bank on one of the most effective spin marauders in the middle-overs this season. Only one of two Indians to ever hit more than 100 sixes against spin in the league, Samson also leads Indian batters in six-hitting against spin in middle-overs since 2022. He tonks a six every 9.5 deliveries (bp6) against the tweakers, posing a 150-plus strike rate against the slower bowlers between overs 7-16.

It is this impeccable quality that continues to keep Samson afloat as a T20I batter, one that kept him in the reckoning to script a tremendous World Cup comeback from the brink. Combining international T20Is with the IPL, no Indian batter has struck more maximums when their side has recorded a 200-plus score than Samson (141 sixes in only 38 innings), standing distinctly ahead of India heavyweights Rohit Sharma (108), Suryakumar (107) and Virat Kohli (103) from considerably fewer appearances.

The boost from an all-timer World Cup performance, combined with the Chennai connection and clarity he has received, the Samson wave could persist across the country for another two months, potentially setting up greater things for India, CSK, and himself, in that order.