Key takeaways
- Samson has 1,663 runs in 75 T20Is with three centuries, up to the Indore T20I on 11 October 2026.
- In 16 ODIs he has 510 runs at 56.66, with a best of 108 against South Africa.
- He was Player of the Tournament at the 2026 T20 World Cup with 321 runs in five matches.
- He was the first Indian to score T20I hundreds in back-to-back matches, in 2024.
Sanju Samson has played 75 T20Is for India and scored 1,663 runs with three centuries, counted up to the third T20I against West Indies at Indore on 11 October 2026. In ODIs he has 510 runs in 16 matches at an average of 56.66, with one hundred. He was also Player of the Tournament at the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Below is a full breakdown of his international numbers, his hundreds, the records he holds and how his 2026 has gone so far. All figures are as of 13 October 2026, and the stats are counted up to the Indore T20I on 11 October 2026.
Sanju Samson stats at a glance (October 2026)
The table brings together his main numbers across formats. T20I figures after the second T20I in Ranchi come from ESPNcricinfo data reported by NewsBytes, with his Indore score added on top.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Average | Hundreds | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20I | 75 | 1,663 | Around 26.8 | 3 | 111 |
| ODI | 16 | 510 | 56.66 | 1 | 108 |
| First-class | 66 | 3,888 | 39.27 | 11 | 211 |
| List A | 130 | 3,599 | 34.27 | 4 | 212* |
| All T20s (before Indore) | 356 | 9,138 | 30.56 | 8 | 119 |
He has not played a Test for India so far. His ODI strike rate is 99.60, which is high for a middle-order batter in the 50-over game.
Sanju Samson T20I record
Samson made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe at Harare on 19 July 2015. For the next several years he played only now and then, often as a back-up keeper, and his place in the side kept changing.
That changed in late 2024 when he was moved up to open. Since then most of his big T20I scores have come at the top of the order. After the Ranchi game on 9 October 2026, he had 1,660 T20I runs in 74 matches at an average of 27.21, and 98 sixes. He made 3 in the next match at Indore, which takes him to 1,663 runs in 75 games.
- Debut: 19 July 2015 vs Zimbabwe, Harare
- Highest score: 111 off 47 balls vs Bangladesh, 2024
- Hundreds: 3, all in 2024
- Sixes: 98 after the Ranchi T20I, two short of 100
- Against West Indies: 267 runs in 10 matches at 44.5 (after Ranchi)
Sanju Samson centuries in international cricket
Samson has four international hundreds: one in ODIs and three in T20Is. Three of them came against South Africa.
| Score | Format | Opponent | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 108 (114 balls) | ODI | South Africa | Paarl | 21 December 2023 |
| 111 (47 balls) | T20I | Bangladesh | Hyderabad | 12 October 2024 |
| 107 (50 balls) | T20I | South Africa | Durban | 8 November 2024 |
| 109* (56 balls) | T20I | South Africa | Johannesburg | 15 November 2024 |
The ODI hundred at Paarl came in the series decider and was his first century for India. The 111 against Bangladesh was his first T20I hundred, and he followed it with another one in his very next T20I at Durban.
Sanju Samson records you should know
Some of these are India records, some are T20I records and some are from domestic cricket. Here are the main ones.
- Back-to-back T20I hundreds: He was the first Indian batter to score centuries in consecutive T20I matches (Hyderabad and Durban, 2024).
- Three T20I hundreds in a calendar year: His three tons in 2024 were the most by any batter in one year in T20Is at that time.
- First Indian keeper with a T20I ton in South Africa: He did it at Durban in November 2024.
- 210-run stand with Tilak Varma: The pair added an unbeaten 210 for the second wicket at Johannesburg, and India made 283.
- Fastest Indian fifty against West Indies: His 21-ball fifty at Ranchi on 9 October 2026 equalled Virat Kohli’s 21-ball effort from December 2019.
- Fastest List A double hundred by an Indian: His unbeaten 212 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy is also the highest List A score by a wicketkeeper.
- Most T20 hundreds by an Indian: With eight hundreds in all T20 cricket by April 2026, he had drawn level with Rohit Sharma, behind only Virat Kohli and Abhishek Sharma.
How Sanju Samson performed at the 2026 T20 World Cup
The 2026 T20 World Cup, held in India and Sri Lanka, was the best stretch of his career. He did not get a big score in the early games, but once he found form in the knockout stage, he carried India’s batting.
- Super 8 vs West Indies (1 March 2026): 97 not out off 50 balls as India chased 196 and reached 199/5. It was India’s highest successful chase at a T20 World Cup. He was Player of the Match.
- Semi-final vs England (5 March 2026): 89 off 42 balls as India posted 253. Player of the Match again.
- Final vs New Zealand (Ahmedabad): 89 off 46 balls. India won the title.
He ended the tournament with 321 runs, the third-highest tally, despite playing only five matches. He was named Player of the Tournament, and the ICC later named him Men’s Player of the Month for March 2026.
Sanju Samson form in 2026 after the World Cup
The months after the World Cup were mixed. By the second T20I against Afghanistan in September, he had scored 100 runs in six matches since the final, at an average of 16.66. He then hit 57 off 22 balls in that Afghanistan game.
Low scores followed in a one-off T20I against Japan at the Asian Games and in the first T20I against West Indies at Lucknow. He bounced back with 82 off 41 balls (nine fours, four sixes) in the second T20I at Ranchi on 9 October, though India lost that game by six wickets. In the third T20I at Indore on 11 October he was out for 3, while India won by 14 runs to lead the five-match series 2 to 1.
One pattern stands out. In 2026, whenever he has faced at least 15 balls in a T20I innings, he has gone on to score a fifty. The remaining two matches of the series are scheduled at Hyderabad (14 October) and Bengaluru (17 October).
Sanju Samson home and away T20I numbers
At home, Samson had 883 T20I runs in 30 matches at 31.53 after the Ranchi game, with one hundred and six fifties. That hundred is the 111 against Bangladesh at Hyderabad.
His two other T20I hundreds came in South Africa, which is unusual for an Indian batter. He has also done well against West Indies, with an average of 44.5 against them before the Indore match.
Sanju Samson ODI record
His ODI debut came on 23 July 2021 against Sri Lanka in Colombo, where he made 46. Across 16 ODIs he has 510 runs at 56.66, with one hundred and three fifties. He has also taken nine catches and made two stumpings in the format.
The average is among the best for Indian batters with a similar number of games, but he has not been a regular in the ODI side. Most of his chances have come in second-string squads.
Domestic and overall T20 numbers
Samson plays domestic cricket for Kerala. In first-class cricket he has 3,888 runs from 66 matches with 11 hundreds and a best of 211. In List A cricket he has 3,599 runs with four hundreds, including the 212 not out.
In all T20 cricket, which includes the IPL and domestic matches, he had 9,138 runs from 356 matches with eight hundreds and 58 fifties after the Ranchi T20I. His strike rate in all T20s is 140.3, and he had hit 434 sixes.
He moved from Rajasthan Royals to Chennai Super Kings before IPL 2026 and finished as CSK’s top run-scorer that season with 477 runs. You can read more about his recent form in our report on his 57 against Afghanistan and the record he equalled at Ranchi.
Frequently asked questions
How many centuries does Sanju Samson have in T20Is?
Sanju Samson has three T20I centuries, all scored in 2024: 111 against Bangladesh, and 107 and 109 not out against South Africa.
What is Sanju Samson’s highest score in T20I cricket?
His highest T20I score is 111 off 47 balls against Bangladesh at Hyderabad in October 2024. His best ODI score is 108 against South Africa at Paarl.
How many runs has Sanju Samson scored in T20Is?
Up to the third T20I against West Indies on 11 October 2026, Samson had scored 1,663 runs in 75 T20Is for India.
Was Sanju Samson Player of the Tournament at the 2026 T20 World Cup?
Yes. He scored 321 runs in five matches, including 97 not out, 89 in the semi-final and 89 in the final, and was named Player of the Tournament.
Has Sanju Samson played Test cricket for India?
No. As of October 2026, Samson has played ODIs and T20Is for India but has not made his Test debut.
Sources: ESPNcricinfo player profile, NewsBytes stats after the Ranchi T20I, Express Tribune report on the Indore T20I, Wikipedia.
