It is becoming a pattern and CSK fans are starting to notice. Sanju Samson walked out to open the batting at Chepauk tonight in front of a home crowd that has been waiting to embrace their big-money signing and lasted exactly seven balls for seven runs before edging Xavier Bartlett straight to the keeper.

This is his second failure in two innings for CSK and the questions around the INR 18 crore man are already starting to get louder.

CSK vs PBKS, IPL 2026: How Sanju Samson got out

Bartlett started with a tight line and Sanju Samson looked composed enough early.

The third ball of the over was overpitched and Samson leaned into a gorgeous cover drive for four, sending Chepauk briefly into a frenzy.

It was the kind of shot that reminds you exactly why CSK paid what they paid for him. Then on the very next ball Bartlett adjusted his length, bowled a wider back-of-a-length delivery, and Samson went for a flamboyant cut shot that had no business being played.

The ball had just enough extra bounce to catch the thick outside edge and Prabhsimran Singh behind the stumps did the rest.

Classic Sanju Samson, one moment of brilliance followed immediately by a lapse in concentration that costs him his wicket and costs his team a platform.

The numbers that tell a worrying story

Two matches into the IPL 2026 season and Samson’s numbers for CSK make for uncomfortable reading, 6 off 7 against his former side Rajasthan Royals in the opener and 7 off 7 tonight against Punjab Kings.

Thirteen runs at an average of 6.50 for the most expensive wicketkeeper-batter in CSK’s squad. The contrast with his T20 World Cup 2026 form is almost hard to believe, 321 runs across five matches at a strike rate of 199.37, one of the great short-format displays of the year.

Samson is a rhythm player and right now he is searching desperately for one solid knock to break the spell and get the confidence flowing again. Until that knock comes, the flip show label is going to follow him around and the Chepauk crowd’s patience, however warm their welcome has been, will only stretch so far.

Here’s how fans reacted:

The silver lining for CSK named Ayush Mhatre

If there is one consolation for CSK in Samson’s dismissal it is that it brought Ayush Mhatre to the crease, and the 19-year-old has completely taken over the innings.

After the bizarre bat gauge incident that preceded his first ball, where the umpire spent several minutes checking three different bats upside down before realizing his error, Mhatre got down to business and has been utterly magnificent.

He reached his fifty off just 29 balls, taking the attack to Marco Jansen and Arshdeep Singh with a fearlessness that has had the Chepauk crowd on their feet. CSK are 77 for 1 after 8 overs with Mhatre on 59 not out off 31 and Gaikwad on 19 not out off 14, and suddenly the innings looks in very good shape despite the early Samson dismissal.

The senior pro flopped, the teenager flew, and right now Ayush Mhatre is making sure nobody is dwelling on the Sanju situation for too long.