Sarfaraz Khan produced a Superman effort to get rid of rival captain Axar Patel during Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) home game against Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday at Chepauk. The incient took place on the first ball of the seven overs, off the bowling of Gurjapneet Singh.
Bowling his first over in IPL, Gurjapneet banged short of length wide of the off stump, forcing Axar to go on the backfoot and slice really hard. Sarfaraz went full stretch to his right to grab the ball with both hands. Television replays showed that the Mumbai cricketer was airborne at the time of completing the catch. Gurjapneet struck with his first ball in IPL.
After completing the catch, Sarfaraz took off his cap and ran as far as he could towards the boundary with his arms outstretched and yelling in joy, just like Imran Tahir used to do during his playing days. Interestingly, Tahir had also played IPL for CSK. Axar walked back for just one run in two balls. In the process, Gurjapneet became the 17th cricketer to take a wicket on the first ball on IPL debut.
While Sarfaraz has already claimed his stake for the catch of the tournament, he didn’t get to bat on Saturday. Previously, Sarfaraz has impressed with the bat with scores of 17, 32 and 50 in the three games he played so far. Notably, Sarfaraz’s half-century came against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), a side that he previously played for.
Sanju Samson entertains with maiden IPL ton for CSK
Earlier, Sanju Samson hit the first century of IPL 2026 IPL as his unbeaten 115 steered CSK to 212/2. India’s T20 World Cup hero Samson hit his fourth IPL ton but first for CSK after he was traded to the five-time champions ahead of this edition of the richest T20 franchise league.
Samson, who was dropped on 52 by Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka in the deep, made the opposition pay for the reprieve and bounced back after scores of six, seven and nine this season. He reached his hundred with a four off T Natarajan to the delight of the home crowd at Chepauk.
Samson struck 15 fours and four sixes in his 56-ball knock as he put on key partnerships including a 113-run second-wicket stand with Ayush Mhatre, who was retired out on 59. Chennai are searching for their first win this season after three defeats pushed them to the bottom of the table.
Catch the live updates from IPL 2026 with the complete IPL 2026 Schedule and the IPL 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts in IPL 2026 Orange Cap and IPL 2026 Purple Cap.
