As Sanju Samson begins a new IPL chapter as CSK’s opener after World Cup success, a breakdown of numbers that capture a paradox Of the 177 games in the IPL, Samson has opened the batting only 31 times, averaging a sub-par 26.1 with a middling 137.36 strike rate. But if his chilling reinvention in the World Cup is anything to go by, the Kerala batter has glimpsed the possibilities of his best versions at the top.