IPL 2021: Rajasthan Royals welcome skipper Sanju Samson with famous Shah Rukh Khan song
Newly-appointed Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson has reached Mumbai on Friday, March 26 to join the franchise's camp ahead of the 2021 IPL. Chris Morris, Shivam Dube, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Rahul Tewatia and Mayank Markande have also reached Mumbai.
As per the BCCI SOP, Sanju Samson and all of his teammates will undergo a one-week quarantine before being allowed to meet and join the training camp.
Upon Samson's arrival in Mumbai, the franchise's Twitter account welcomed him with the popular Shah Rukh Khan song, 'Main Hoon Na.'
The caption of the post read:
"Intezaar khatam, he's here #HallaBol @imsanjusamson." (Translation: The wait is over, he is here)
Before the IPL auction last month, Rajasthan Royals parted ways with former skipper Steve Smith, replacing him with Sanju Samson.
Samson, who played for Delhi Capitals (DC) earlier in the IPL, has no prior captaincy experience in the tournament. But he has led his state side Kerala. In the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the team won three out of five games under his leadership.
Sanju Samson had a mixed 2020 IPL
Sanju Samson blew hot and cold during IPL 2020, failing to maintain consistency. The 26-year-old scored 375 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 159.
With the captaincy responsibility on his shoulders now, he'd like to be more consistent and help his team perform better in the tournament.
Sanju Samson might have a tricky road ahead as captain. The Rajasthan Royals, who were champions in the inaugural edition of the tournament, have made it to the playoffs only thrice in their next ten seasons. They were suspended for the 2016 and 2017 editions of the tournament.
Their performances over the last two seasons have deteriorated further. They finished 7th and 8th on the points table in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Rajasthan Royals will also miss England's Jofra Archer's services for at least the first half of the tournament.
Also Read: 5 alternatives for Rajasthan Royals if Jofra Archer misses IPL 2021