New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner has dismissed India’s Sanju Samson three times in all T20 cricket, according to Yahoo Sports. This head-to-head record suggests the New Zealand captain has proven to be a significant challenge for the Indian wicket-keeper batsman.
Samson’s Struggles Against the Spinner
Across all T20 encounters, Sanju Samson has managed to score only 18 runs from 29 balls faced against Mitchell Santner, resulting in a strike rate of 62.07 and an average of 6.00. Almost half of the deliveries, 14 out of 29, have been dot balls where Samson scored no runs.
A striking statistic highlights Samson’s difficulty in asserting dominance against Santner: he has hit just one four in their entire head-to-head and has never once cleared the rope for a six in any T20 format. This is particularly notable for a batsman known for his aggressive approach against spin bowling.
International and IPL Encounters
Their encounters in international T20s have seen Samson score 12 runs from 16 balls for one dismissal across two meetings, both occurring in 2026. The first T20I meeting saw Santner dismiss Samson for a single run off just three deliveries during New Zealand’s tour of India in January. Their most recent international meeting took place in the T20 World Cup final in March, a match India won by 96 runs. In that game, Samson survived, scoring 11 runs off 13 balls, which included his only boundary against Santner to date.
The record in the Indian Premier League (IPL) shows an even more lopsided contest. Santner has dismissed Samson twice in three IPL meetings, conceding only six runs from 13 balls. This gives Samson an average of 3.00 and a strike rate of 46.15 against the spinner in the competition. Samson fell for a duck off two balls in 2019 and was dismissed again in 2022 after scoring a single run from five deliveries. Their most recent IPL encounter in 2026 saw Samson take five runs off six balls and survive, though he still failed to hit a boundary.
While the overall sample size of 29 balls is small and Samson has shown improvement in their more recent meetings, surviving both encounters in 2026, the underlying pattern remains notable. A batsman who has faced a particular bowler 29 times, hitting only one boundary and no sixes, indicates a significant challenge, as observed by Yahoo Sports. The 48% dot-ball rate suggests Samson has often opted to defend against Santner rather than attack, which can be a valuable tactic for a captain like Santner, especially during powerplay overs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources