Sanju Samson scored the first century of IPL 2026, hitting an unbeaten 115 off 56 balls for Chennai Super Kings against Delhi Capitals on April 11, 2026. His maiden century for CSK, and fourth in IPL overall included 15 fours and four sixes, securing a 23-run win and breaking MSD's record for the highest score by a CSK wicketkeeper.
After playing match-winning knocks in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, Sanju Samson, who was traded by RR to CSK, was having a dry patch in his first three games. Last night in a match against DC, Sanju Samson finally reached his 3 mark score with a great innings, taking CSK to a formidable win.
Not only did Sanju anchor the Chennai Super Kings’ innings today, but he also scored the majority of their runs. He ended his stint with the bat today not out at 115 off 56 and played a pivotal role in taking CSK to a respectable total of 212/2 at the end of their 20 overs. After reaching the milestone, Samson pulled off a Padayappa-style celebration, a nod to his admiration for superstar Rajinikanth.
#Thalaiavar veriyan #Sanju #Samson does the #Padayappa salute after his maiden ton for #CSK#WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/OelVljsAzp
— Kousik Karthikeyan (@kousik23) April 11, 2026
First Centurions in every IPL season
Let’s have a look at all the batsmen who were the first centurion in each IPL season:
|
Year |
Player |
Score |
Against |
|
2008 |
Brendon McCullum (KKR) |
158* off 73 |
RCB |
|
2009 |
AB De Villiers (Delhi Daredevils) |
105* off 54 |
CSK |
|
2010 |
Yusuf Pathan (RR) |
100* off 37 |
MI |
|
2011 |
Paul Valthaty (Kings XI Punjab) |
120* off 63 |
CSK |
|
2012 |
Ajinkya Rahane (RR) |
103* off 60 |
RCB |
|
2013 |
Shane Watson (RR) |
101 off 61 |
CSK |
|
2014 |
Lendl Simmons (MI) |
100* off 61 |
KXIP |
|
2015 |
Brendon McCullum (CSK) |
100* off 56 |
SRH |
|
2016 |
Quinton de Cock (Delhi Daredevils |
108* off 51 |
RCB |
|
2017 |
Sanju Samson (Delhi Draedevils) |
102 off 63 |
RSP |
|
2018 |
Chris Gayle (KXIP) |
104* off 63 |
SRH |
|
2019 |
Sanju Samson (RR) |
102* off 55 |
SRH |
|
2020 |
KL Rahul (KXIP) |
132* off 69 |
RCB |
|
2021 |
Sanju Samson (RR) |
119 off 63 |
PBKS |
|
2022 |
Jos Buttler (RR) |
100 off 68 |
MI |
|
2023 |
Harry Brook (SRH) |
100* off 55 |
KKR |
|
2024 |
Virat Kohli (RCB) |
113* off 72 |
RR |
|
2025 |
Ishan Kishan (SRH) |
100 off 67 |
MI |
|
2026 |
Sanju Samson |
115 off 67 |
DC |
Brendon McCullum- The first century in the league's history was scored in the inaugural match itself on 18 April 2008 at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, by Brendon McCullum for KKR against RCB, scoring 158*, which is also one of the only two 150+ scores by individual batsmen in the league's history to date.
AB de Villiers - On April 23 2009, legendary South African batsman AB de Villiers entered his name in the history books by registering his first triple-digit figures with the willow against MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the second edition of the Indian Premier League.
Yusuf Pathan - Yusuf Pathan scored a blistering 37-ball century for RR against the Mumbai Indians on March 13, 2010, in the IPL. It was the fastest century in IPL history at the time, featuring 9 fours and 8 sixes. Despite his heroics (100 off 37), RR lost the match chasing 213.
Paul Valthaty - Valthaty helped the Punjab chase down a 189-run target with six wickets and five balls to spare at Mohali. He scored 120 runs, being the first hundred of IPL 2011 season and 13th overall in the 21st century.
Ajinkya Rahane - Ajinkya Rahane scored his maiden IPL century, a brilliant 103* off 60 balls, for Rajasthan Royals (RR) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on April 15, 2012. This was the first century of the 2012 IPL season, helping RR win by 59 runs in Bangalore. He finished the 2012 season with 560 runs.
