Inserted to bat, CSK put up a commanding 212/2. Capitals, with only Tristan Stubbs (60 off 38b) coming good in the middle-order, were 189 all out in 20 overs.

Samson, after three single-digit scores to begin his journey with a new franchise, responded in the most emphatic way possible — an unbeaten 115 off 56 balls, an innings that blended rhythm with authority.

He set the tone early. Alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad, CSK navigated the Powerplay without damage, reaching 61 with Samson doing the heavy lifting. Immediately after the Powerplay, Axar Patel darted one into the deck and cramped Gaikwad on the pull as he fell for a scratchy 15.

But Samson and Ayush Mhatre, the Impact Player, combined to put up a defining partnership, stitching together a 113-run stand that took the game away from DC.

Mhatre struck a fearless 59 off 36 balls before walking off retired out — a tactical move that allowed CSK to unleash Shivam Dube for a final flourish during when he scored an unbeaten 20 off 10.

Samson rode his luck after he was dropped on 52, making it count. He paced the innings beautifully, shifting gears without losing control. And when T Natarajan erred in line, Samson punished him by hitting to the fence to bring up a superb hundred, his fourth in IPL.

The Chepauk crowd rose in unison as his helmet came off. They knew their projected hero for the future had shown a glimpse of what’s in store. It was a statement innings that didn’t just anchor CSK’s total, but reminded everyone exactly what he’s capable of. Perhaps, the star power the franchise will need.

Chasing 213, DC slumped to 66/3 from 61/0 and were eventually bowled out off the last ball of the innings. Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul started strong but Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj sent them back in consecutive overs.

In the next over, Axar Patel was dismissed by pacer Gurjapneet Singh. While Samson was the star with the bat, Jamie Overton led with the ball. Taking 4/18, he recorded the second-best figures by a CSK bowler.

Overton’s victims were Sameer Rizvi, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs and Auqib Nabi. Stubbs and Miller tried to bring DC’s chase back on track with a 54-run partnership but Overton effectively derailed their plans. Stubbs was the top-scorer but with Overton and Kamboj nailing their lengths, no other batter could back up the South Africa player.

While Chennai registered their first win of the tournament, they also broke the streak of losing six games in a row at Chepauk. Delhi Capitals lost their second game on the trot.

“I think we got off to a good start, but if we talk about the chase, after the Powerplay we lost two or three wickets in quick succession, which broke the momentum,” said DC captain Axar Patel. “I feel the difference in fielding was the game-changing moment for me. And if you look at it, whenever wickets fell, they fell in pairs, which made things very difficult.”