Chennai, April 26 (IANS) Sanju Samson etched his name into the record books by becoming the fastest Indian, in terms of balls, to reach 5,000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, achieving the milestone during Chennai Super Kings’ clash against Gujarat Titans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

The 31-year-old achieved this milestone impressively by hitting Kagiso Rabada for a boundary in the second over. However, Rabada had the last laugh, dismissing Samson for 11 off 15 balls later in the fourth over.

Samson is now the 10th overall batter to surpass 5,000 runs in IPL history, reaching the mark in just 180 innings (185 matches). It took him 3555 balls to reach this milestone, making him the fastest Indian to do so by balls faced. Only a few global stars have reached this milestone faster in terms of balls faced, with AB de Villiers leading.

Throughout his IPL career, Samson has played for Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils), and CSK, and has also captained Rajasthan. His IPL journey started in 2013, and he has become one of the league’s most reliable performers.

Among the elite 5,000-run club, Samson joins notable players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, K.L. Rahul, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, and Ajinkya Rahane.

Samson’s consistent performance is evident in his IPL career stats: 5,008 runs, an average of 31.69, and a strike rate of 140.59, including 31 fifties and five centuries. Notably, three centuries were scored while batting at No. 3 or lower. His main association remains with Rajasthan Royals, scoring 4,027 runs in 149 matches with an average of 31.70, including two centuries and 23 fifties. He also became the first player to surpass 4,000 runs for the franchise last season.

In 2024, Samson had his most successful IPL season, scoring 531 runs at an average of 48.27, his first 500-plus run season. In the current 2026 season, he has performed well, with 304 runs in eight matches at an average of 50.67 and a strike rate of 169.83. Both of his scores above 50 this year have turned into centuries, giving him two so far.

Across all T20 cricket, Samson has scored 8,704 runs in 338 matches, averaging 30.86, with eight hundreds and 54 fifties, underlining his reputation as a reliable and dynamic top-order batter.

–IANS

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