Chennai Super Kings finally chalked up their first win of IPL 2026, seeing off Delhi Capitals by 23 runs in Chennai. Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 115 from 56 balls underpinned CSK’s 212 for 2, but plenty of post-match chat centred on Jamie Overton’s decisive spell of 4 for 18.
The English quick entered the attack in the eighth over with DC 73 for 3 and looking dangerous. Within four overs he had removed Sameer Rizvi, David Miller, Auqib Nabi and Tristan Stubbs, mixing 145 kph rockets with short, hit-the-deck balls. Delhi’s chase faded to 189 for 9.
“Of course,” replied Wasim Jaffer when asked if Overton should have taken the match award, branding the seamer the “point of difference” in CSK’s win. “According to me, it should have been Overton. If he didn’t get the spell, CSK wouldn’t have won. Because he got very important wickets. And in four overs, just 18 runs, where the target was 210. I thought the point of difference was that.”
Jaffer added: “Although, if Sanju didn’t get the innings, [CSK] wouldn’t have scored so many runs [212 for 2]. So it was very difficult [to decide]. But in such a big game, where batting is easy, I think Overton should have been given [the match award].”
On the same TimeOut show, Aaron Finch echoed the sentiment. “He was bowling fast, up in the mid- to high 140s,” Finch said of Overton. “Thinking back to the Big Bash, where he played for Adelaide Strikers, he was consistently up in the high 140s as well. So, he’s a serious cricketer. For me, he should be the Player of the Match. On a batting-friendly wicket, here was the point of difference.”
Finch elaborated: “He just strangled them through the middle when he had that opportunity. Big wickets at big times. I think he’s a seriously good cricketer. The skill set that he brings – bat, ball, field – another one of those players that you want in the game, in the contest, when it’s on the line.”
“He likes the big moments. Every time he gets an opportunity around the world, whether it’s franchise [cricket] or for England, he gets the job done.”
An in-house MVP model had Samson marginally ahead (150.93 impact points to Overton’s 112.18), underlining why the judges leaned towards the captain. Even so, many observers felt the award could have swung either way.
Samson’s first IPL hundred of the season came after CSK were sent in on a typically true Chepauk surface. The right-hander unfurled clean drives and late cuts, adding 141 with Ruturaj Gaikwad. Delhi began brightly in reply, but once Miller’s off-stump was uprooted by a 145 kph nip-backer, their middle overs stalled. Only a late cameo from Axar Patel prevented a heavier defeat.
For CSK, the victory relieves early-season pressure. Overton’s pace offers a dimension they have lacked since the days of Mark Wood’s brief stint, while Samson’s form hints at consistency sometimes absent in previous campaigns. Delhi, meanwhile, will review how a position of 73 for 3 chasing 213 unravelled so quickly.
Next up, CSK travel to Hyderabad on Thursday; DC host Mumbai the following night. Both teams have issues to tidy up, yet the tournament already shows that one inspired spell or century can still tilt an IPL game.
