In the IPL 2026 match held at Arun Jaitley Stadium on May 5, Sanju Samson played a pivotal role for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), scoring 87 runs off 52 balls to help secure an eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals (DC). Irfan Pathan highlighted that Samson has taken on a leadership role similar to that of MS Dhoni, who, despite being part of the squad, has not played this season due to a calf injury. Pathan noted that Samson has been instrumental in supporting captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and mentoring younger players while maintaining his batting performance. Currently, Samson ranks as the fifth-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 402 runs at a strike rate of 167.50. On the other hand, Kuldeep Yadav's struggles continued as he failed to take wickets and has an economy rate of 10. Pathan criticized DC's decision to bat first, suggesting they should have opted to bowl given the conditions, especially after their recent poor performance on the same ground.