"I am proud and happy to lead the team which is more than a family to me"- Sanju Samson
The Rajasthan Royals have named Sanju Samson as their new skipper for the IPL 2021 season. The India wicket-keeper expressed his pride and happiness over the recent development in a video clip shared by RR on social media.
Despite having a star-studded squad, the Rajasthan Royals only finished eighth in IPL 2020. The franchise released Steve Smith before the 14th IPL season and soon declared Sanju Samson as their new leader.
"I am so proud and happy to captain the team which I have grown up with, the team which is more than a family to me. Very happy and excited for the season ahead," Sanju Samson said in a video uploaded by the Royals.
Sanju Samson has never captained an IPL team before. The Rajasthan Royals had experienced stars like Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes in their squad. Even Jaydev Unadkat has done a fantastic job as Saurashtra's captain. Still, the Royals have backed Samson and handed the team's reins to him.
Sanju Samson came into the limelight with his brilliant performances for the Rajasthan Royals
Sanju Samson was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad in IPL 2012. While KKR won the title that year, Samson did not receive a single opportunity to show his talent. Next year, he moved to the Rajasthan Royals and scored a match-winning 63 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in his second IPL innings.
Soon, Sanju Samson became Rajasthan's first-choice wicket-keeper. He has represented the Royals in 79 IPL matches; aggregating 1,907 runs at a strike rate of 136.21. Currently, Samson is one of the top wicket-keepers in India. However, he might not have gained so much fame had he not been a part of the Rajasthan Royals in his career's early stages.