Sanju Samson was announced as the new captain for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL14. Australia ex-captain Steven Smith was the captain of Rajasthan Royal last year. Rajasthan Royals showed confidence in him and he has been retained as the captain in IPL 2022
The performance declined after Rajasthan Royals performed well in their first few matches. By the end of the 2020 IPL, Rajasthan Royals were at the bottom of the table. RR only managed to win 6 matches out of 14.
As a result, RR did not qualify for playoffs in IPL 2020. Sanju dedicates a lot of his success to Rahul Dravid, who has guided him and given him opportunities.
Points table of 2020 IPL
| Teams | Matches Played | Won | Lost | NR | Points | RR |
| Mumbai Indians | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 1.107 |
| Delhi Capitals | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 16 | -0.109 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0.608 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | -0.172 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | -0.214 |
| Kings XI Punjab | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 12 | -0.162 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 12 | -0.455 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 12 | -0.569 |
Sanju Samson Stats in IPL 2020
| Matches played | Not Out | Runs | HS | Avg |
| 14 | 1 | 375 | 85 | 28.8 |
Complete IPL stats
| eason | Team | Matches | Innings | Not Outs | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Rajasthan Royals | 11 | 10 | 2 | 206 | 63 | 25.75 | 115.73 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 5 |
| 2014 | Rajasthan Royals | 13 | 13 | 0 | 339 | 74 | 26.07 | 124.17 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 14 |
| 2015 | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 14 | 2 | 204 | 76 | 20.40 | 125.15 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 8 |
| 2016 | Delhi Daredevils | 14 | 14 | 1 | 291 | 60 | 22.38 | 112.35 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 8 |
| 2017 | Delhi Daredevils | 14 | 14 | 0 | 386 | 102 | 27.57 | 141.39 | 1 | 2 | 31 | 19 |
| 2018 | Rajasthan Royals | 15 | 15 | 1 | 441 | 92* | 31.50 | 137.81 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 19 |
| 2019 | Rajasthan Royals | 12 | 12 | 2 | 342 | 102* | 34.20 | 148.69 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 13 |
| 2020 | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 14 | 1 | 375 | 85 | 28.84 | 158.89 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 26 |
| 2021 | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 14 | 2 | 484 | 119 | 40.33 | 136.72 | 1 | 2 | 45 | 17 |
| 2022 | Rajasthan Royals | 17 | 17 | 1 | 458 | 55 | 28.62 | 146.79 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 26 |
| 2023 | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 14 | 2 | 362 | 66* | 30.16 | 153.38 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 24 |
| 2024 | Rajasthan Royals | 15 | 15 | 4 | 531 | 86 | 48.27 | 153.47 | 0 | 5 | 48 | 31 |
| Total | RR, DD/DC, KKR* | 168 | 166 | 18 | 4,934 | 119 | 32.46 | 137.23 | 3 | 25 | 355 | 210 |
Sanju Samson Life History
Sanju Samson’s full name is Sanju Vishwanath Samson. He was born on 11 November 1994 in Kerala, India, to a middle-class Malayali family. His father’s name is Vishwanath Samson, and his mother’s is Lily Samson.
Sanju’s father, Vishwanath, was a constable in the Delhi Police, so Sanju received his early education in Delhi. After some time, his family shifted to Kerala, where Sanju studied high school and college. At the age of 11, he was selected for Kerala Under-13 and started his career by scoring a century.
Because of Sanju’s performance, he was also made the captain of the Under 16 and Under 19 state cricket teams. Sanju Samson scored an unbeaten 200 off 138 balls in a match against Goa, playing with the Under Sixteen team.
After this, in 2012 and 2013, Sanju Samson was selected for India’s Under-19 Asia Cup team, and on both occasions, India became the champion. In the final match of the Under-19 Asia Cup of 2013, Sanju Samson gave India a victory by scoring a century.
Given his performance, he was also included in India’s Under-19 World Cup, where he was India’s highest run-scorer.
Sanju Samson, who made his Ranji debut in 2011, was made the captain of the Kerala Ranji team in 2015 and became the youngest captain in the Ranji Trophy history. Sanju Samson was in superb form during the 2016-17 Ranji season. In Ranji Trophy’s season, he scored 627 runs in 7 matches and became the highest run-scorer.
He was then made the captain of the Board President’s XI team against Sri Lanka, where, once again, he performed brilliantly with the bat. In the 2019-20 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Sanju Samson played an innings of 222 runs from 129 balls against Goa. This is the highest score by any wicket-keeper batsman in List A cricket.
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IPL career
He was included in Kolkata Knight Riders’ team in 2012, but he did not get a chance to play a single match for KKR in this season of IPL. Then, in 2013, the Rajasthan Royals signed Sanju Samson to their team. On 14 April 2013, they played their first IPL match against Kings XI Punjab, in which they impressed everyone with their batting and wicket-keeping.
In the next match, he was promoted against the Royal Challengers Bangalore team, and he took full advantage of this opportunity to win the team by scoring 63 runs off 41 balls. He was also awarded the title of man of the match for this inning.
In 2016, Sanju Samson joined the Delhi Daredevils team. After this, in the IPL auction of 2018, Rajasthan Royals added him to their team after spending a hefty eight crores. Mumbai Indians were also interested in him and bid up to 7.80 crores.
Sanju Samson has scored 2 centuries in the IPL so far. He scored the first century of his IPL career in 2017 against the team of Rising Pune Supergiants. The second century of his IPL career came against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019.
In the IPL 2021, Sanju Samson became the first player to score a century of the season and the first captain to hit a century in his debut match. He scored 119 runs in 63 balls against Kings XI Punjab.
International Career
In 2014, Sanju Samson was selected for the Indian team for five ODIs and one T20 match against England. However, he did not play a single match. After this, he made his debut in the series against Zimbabwe in 2015.
Personal Life
Sanju Samson has endorsed the fantasy sports platform Puma and the Australian cricket equipment brand Kookaburra.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sanju Viswanath Samson |
| Date of Birth | November 11, 1994 |
| Place of Birth | Pulluvila, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
| Age | 30 years (as of March 20, 2025) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Ethnicity | Indian (Malayali Christian) |
| Father | Samson Viswanath (ex-police constable, footballer) |
| Mother | Ligy Viswanath (homemaker) |
| Siblings | Saly Samson (elder brother, cricketer) |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Charulatha Remesh (married December 22, 2018) |
| Children | None |
| Education | B.Com (dropout), Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Schooling | St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Height | 5’7″ (1.70 m, per media reports) |
| Weight | Approx. 65-70 kg (estimated from visuals) |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Profession | Cricketer (Wicketkeeper-Batsman) |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm off-break (rarely used) |
| Role | Top-order Batsman, Wicketkeeper |
| Debut (First-Class) | November 3, 2011, Kerala vs. Vidarbha (Ranji Trophy) |
| Debut (T20I) | July 19, 2015, vs. Zimbabwe (Harare, 19 runs) |
| Debut (ODI) | July 23, 2021, vs. Sri Lanka (Colombo, 46 runs) |
| Teams Played For | India, Kerala, Rajasthan Royals (IPL), Delhi Capitals (IPL), Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL), India U-19, India A |
| Total Test Matches | 0 |
| Total ODI Matches | 16 (last: December 21, 2023, vs. South Africa) |
| Total T20I Matches | 34 (last: February 8, 2025, vs. England) |
| ODI Runs | 510 (Avg: 56.66) |
| T20I Runs | 667 (Avg: 23.82) |
| ODI Highest Score | 108 (vs. South Africa, 2023) |
| T20I Highest Score | 111* (vs. South Africa, 2024) |
| ODI 100s/50s | 1/3 |
| T20I 100s/50s | 3/2 |
| IPL Debut | April 29, 2013, Rajasthan Royals vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| IPL Teams | Kolkata Knight Riders (2012), Rajasthan Royals (2013-15, 2018-25), Delhi Capitals (2016-17) |
| IPL Matches | 168 (up to IPL 2024) |
| IPL Runs | 4,934 (Avg: 32.46) |
| IPL Highest Score | 119 (vs. Punjab Kings, 2021) |
| IPL 100s/50s | 3/25 |
| IPL Auction 2025 | Retained by Rajasthan Royals for ₹14 crore (November 2024) |
| IPL Captaincy | Rajasthan Royals (2021-present) |
| Domestic Team | Kerala (Captain since 2015-16) |
| Recent Domestic Form | 108* vs. Bengal (Vijay Hazare Trophy, December 2024) |
| Notable Records | – Only player with 3 T20I centuries in a year (2024)<br>- First Indian WK to score T20I century<br>- Fastest List A double ton by an Indian (212* off 129 balls, 2019) |
| T20 World Cup 2024 | Part of India’s winning squad (15 runs in 1 match) |
| Awards | IPL Emerging Player (2013), Kerala State Sports Award (2022) |
| Net Worth (Estimated) | ₹80-90 crore (as of March 2025; IPL, endorsements, assets) |
| Annual Income (Estimated) | ₹15-18 crore (IPL: ₹14 crore; endorsements) |
| Endorsements | Puma, Hummel, MRF, Kerala Blasters FC, MyFitness Peanut Butter |
| Social Media (Instagram) | @imsanjusamson (5.2M+ followers) |
| Social Media (Twitter/X) | @IamSanjuSamson (1.5M+ followers) |
| Residence | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
| Property | Luxury home in Trivandrum (₹3-5 crore, estimated); flat in Jaipur |
| Cars Owned | Mercedes-Benz GLE, Audi Q7, Range Rover (per media sightings) |
| Hobbies | Football, traveling, music, spending time with family |
| Favorite Cricketer | Rahul Dravid (mentor at Rajasthan Royals) |
| Favorite Football Team | Kerala Blasters FC (brand ambassador since 2023) |
| Health | Finger fracture (January 2025, vs. England; recovered by March per X updates) |
| Latest Update (International) | Struggled vs. England (February 2025: 7, 0, 11); sidelined post-injury |
| Latest Update (IPL Prep) | Training with RR; scored 45 in intra-squad match (March 18, 2025, X posts) |
| Controversies | – Fined by Kerala Cricket Association (2018, dissent vs. captain)<br>- Trolled for 4 T20I ducks in 2024 |
| Philanthropy | Runs Six Guns Sports Academy (cricket/football training for kids in Kerala) |
| State Election Role | Election icon for Kerala (2021 Legislative Assembly election) |
| First-Class Matches | 63 |
| First-Class Runs | 3,988 (Avg: 38.35) |
| List A Matches | 134 |
| List A Runs | 4,365 (Avg: 37.62) |
| T20 Matches (Overall) | 292 |
| T20 Runs (Overall) | 8,159 (Avg: 31.62) |
| Wicketkeeping Stats (Test) | N/A |
| Wicketkeeping Stats (ODI) | 10 catches, 2 stumpings |
| Wicketkeeping Stats (T20I) | 16 catches, 5 stumpings |
| Wicketkeeping Stats (IPL) | 92 catches, 16 stumpings |
| Early Career | Trained in Delhi; moved to Kerala at 13, mentored by Biju George |
| U-19 Career | Vice-captain, India U-19 World Cup 2014 (267 runs) |
| Languages Spoken | Malayalam, Hindi, English |
| Jersey Number | 9 (India), 11 (Rajasthan Royals) |
| Nickname | “Sanju” |
| Role Model | MS Dhoni (admired for wicketkeeping and leadership) |
| Favorite Shot | Lofted cover drive (per interviews) |
| Training Academy | Six Guns Sports Academy, founded 2018 |
| Fitness Routine | Gym workouts, yoga, sprint training (shared on Instagram) |
| Diet Preference | Non-vegetarian (loves Kerala seafood) |
| Fan Base | Strong in Kerala; “Sanju Army” on social media |
| Leadership Style | Calm, aggressive with bat (per RR teammates on X) |
| IPL 2024 Performance | 531 runs (Avg: 48.27, SR: 153.46) |
| T20I 2024 Highlights | 3 centuries (vs. Bangladesh, South Africa x2) |
| Champions Trophy 2025 | Not in squad (KL Rahul preferred, per NDTV Sports, March 2025) |
| Recent Injury | Finger fracture from Jofra Archer bouncer (January 2025; 5-6 weeks recovery) |
| Public Persona | Humble, stylish, inconsistent yet talented (X sentiment, March 2025) |
| Criticism | Inconsistency in T20Is (4 ducks in 2024); pull shot struggles (Manjrekar, 2025) |
| Mentor | Rahul Dravid (RR captain, 2013; India coach, 2021-24) |
| International Comeback | Returned in 2024 with 3 T20I tons; eyeing ODI consistency |
| Fan Moment | Emotional X post after T20 World Cup 2024 win (June 2024) |
| Signature Trait | Aggressive yet elegant strokeplay |
| Future Goal | Cement spot in India’s white-ball XI (per 2024 interview) |
| Legacy | Kerala’s cricketing pride; T20I century machine; IPL stalwart |
| Quote | “I play for moments that define me” (Times of India, 2024) |
As of 2025, Sanju Samson’s net worth is estimated at around $10 Million or 80-90 crore Rupees. Most of his income comes from playing for India, IPL, and brand endorsement.
IPL 2022
Sanju Samson was retained by his team, Rajasthan Royals, for Rs 14 crores, along with Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal, and he will most probably lead the team.
In his debut season for the Rajasthan Royals, Sanju Samson made an impression with his gritty knocks. Rahul Dravid developed the Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman into a strong campaigner. In 2016, he followed his mentor into the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) side, where he played some key innings over the course of two seasons before returning to the Rajasthan Royals.
IPL 2025
After suffering a fracture to his right index finger during the T20I series against England (January 2025), Sanju had surgery. He joined the Rajasthan Royals (RR) camp on March 18, 2025, after completing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Sanju announced on March 20, 2025, that he would not captain RR in the first three IPL games in order to take recovery precautions. When RR plays the Sunrisers Hyderabad (March 23), Gujarat Titans, and Punjab Kings, Riyan Parag will be captain.
Since Jos Buttler has left RR, Sanju Samson will open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. With Dhruv Jurel as a backup, his wicketkeeping status is still up in the air. On March 18, 2025, he scored 45 points in an intra-squad game.
Sanju Samson was thrilled to be working with RR’s new head coach, Rahul Dravid.