Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson is an Indian wicketkeeper-batter known for clean ball-striking, quick hands behind the stumps, and calm leadership with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL. After an on-off start to his India career, he surged in late 2023–24 with a maiden ODI hundred in South Africa and a burst of T20I centuries that pushed him firmly into white-ball contention. Technically compact with a stable base, he drives crisply through cover, picks length early, and clears long boundaries without violent swings. As captain, he backs young players with defined roles and is comfortable making brave, match-up based moves. He captains Kerala in domestic cricket and RR in the IPL, and has also served as a brand ambassador for Kerala Blasters FC. With continued consistency, he remains a vital middle-order option for India: a flexible wicketkeeper-batter who can accelerate at the death and finish games.

Early Life

Samson was born on 11 November 1994 in Pulluvila, near Vizhinjam, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala). His father, Samson Viswanath, served with Delhi Police and played Santosh Trophy football; the family lived in North Delhi before moving back to Kerala to support the brothers’ cricket. Sanju studied at DL DAV Model School, Shalimar Bagh (Delhi) before continuing in Thiruvananthapuram, where coach Biju George refined his footwork and wicketkeeping basics at the Medical College Ground. He rose quickly through Kerala’s age-group ladder, starring in U-16 and U-19 cricket and earning India U-19 selection, including vice-captaincy for the 2014 U-19 World Cup. Early exposure to senior dressing rooms and competitive age-group tournaments shaped his temperament and shot selection under pressure.

Personal Life

Samson married his long-time friend and college mate Charulatha Remesh in a private ceremony at Kovalam in December 2018. Off the field, he supports grassroots sport in Thiruvananthapuram and previously worked in a managerial role with Bharat Petroleum. Known for a low-key public profile, he tends to let performances do the talking. A knee issue in early 2023 briefly halted his India comeback, but disciplined rehab and workload management helped him return sharper, especially in running between the wickets and repeat sprints during long innings.

Domestic Career

A product of Kerala cricket, Samson debuted in first-class cricket in 2011. He has been a mainstay across Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare, and Syed Mushtaq Ali competitions, often doubling as captain and finisher. His landmark domestic knock came in October 2019: an unbeaten 212 off 129 balls for Kerala vs Goa in the Vijay Hazare Trophy—the tournament’s highest individual score at the time, the fastest List-A double hundred by an Indian then, and the highest List-A score by a wicketkeeper in India. Beyond the headline numbers, his domestic career is defined by versatility: anchoring tricky chases on slow tracks, marshalling lower orders, and standing up to the stumps to seamers to create chances. For Kerala, he has regularly toggled between top-order aggressor and middle-order stabiliser depending on team balance, a flexibility that later served him well in the IPL and for India.

ODI Career

Samson made his ODI debut on 23 July 2021 against Sri Lanka in Colombo. After promising starts through 2021–22 and time lost to injury in early 2023, he delivered a breakthrough series-decider hundred—108 at Paarl—on 21 December 2023 as India sealed the series in South Africa. Batting primarily in the middle order, he rotates well, hits strong pockets behind point and over extra-cover, and finishes with clean swings down the ground. His keeping has been tidy, especially leg-side takes to wrist-spinners and low collections to pacers. As of the latest compiled figures (2025), he has 510 ODI runs at an average of 56.66 with a strike rate a touch over 106, including one century and three fifties.

ODI batting & fielding stats

Matches	Runs	Average	SR	100s/50s	HS	Catches/Stumpings
16	510	56.66	106.02	1/3	108	10/1

T20I Career

Samson’s T20I journey began in 2015 (debut vs Zimbabwe) but gained real momentum in 2024. In October–November 2024, he smashed a 40-ball hundred against Bangladesh in Hyderabad and then reeled off back-to-back T20I centuries—becoming the first Indian to score consecutive hundreds in men’s T20Is—and finished the year with three T20I tons. In Johannesburg on 15 November 2024, his unbeaten 109 powered India to a series-clinching win over South Africa. By early 2025 his T20I line read: 42 matches, 861 runs at 29.68, strike rate 161.73, 3 hundreds and 2 fifties, top score 111, with 20 catches and 6 stumpings. Technically, he has sharpened strike-rotation in the middle overs, added a late-cut and ramp to disturb fields, and trusts his pick-up over mid-wicket against pace. These tweaks make him a more complete T20 finisher who can also anchor if early wickets fall.

T20I batting & fielding stats

Matches	Runs	Average	SR	100s/50s	HS	Catches/Stumpings
42	861	29.68	161.73	3/2	111	20/6

IPL Career

Samson’s IPL debut came in 2013 with Rajasthan Royals under Rahul Dravid’s mentorship. He won the IPL Emerging Player award that season and, in 2021, became the first IPL captain to score a century on captaincy debut (119 vs PBKS). After two seasons at Delhi Daredevils (2016–17), he returned to RR (2018-present) and took over as full-time captain in 2021. He led RR to the 2022 final, had a prolific 2024 (531 runs at a strike rate above 153), and added 285 runs in 2025 as RR endured a lean campaign. Across his IPL career to the end of 2025: 177 matches, 4,704 runs at 30.95, strike rate 139.05, 3 hundreds, 26 fifties, HS 119, and 86 catches/17 stumpings. Tactically, he is strong with power-play bowling changes and is willing to hold a spinner back for the 19th if the match-ups suit, a pattern seen across RR’s recent seasons.

IPL batting & fielding stats (career)

Matches	Runs	Average	SR	100s/50s	HS	Catches/Stumpings
177	4,704	30.95	139.05	3/26	119	86/17

Records and Achievements

• Highest Vijay Hazare Trophy score and fastest Indian List-A double hundred at the time: 212* off 129 (Kerala vs Goa, 2019); also the highest List-A score by a wicketkeeper in India.
• First Indian with back-to-back men’s T20I hundreds (Oct–Nov 2024); part of a record second-wicket partnership in the format during that period.
• Three T20I centuries in 2024, a rare single-year haul at international level.
• Maiden ODI hundred (108) in the series decider at Paarl, 2023.
• IPL Emerging Player (2013); Rajasthan Royals’ all-time leading run-scorer (landmark reached in 2022).
• Youngest to score an IPL fifty at the time in 2013 (age 18), announcing himself with mature shot selection under pressure.
• First IPL captain to score a century on captaincy debut (119 in 2021).

Quick career tables

International summary

Format	Matches	Runs	Bat Avg	SR	100s/50s	HS
ODIs	16	510	56.66	106.02	1/3	108
T20Is	42	861	29.68	161.73	3/2	111

IPL career

Matches	Runs	Avg	SR	100s/50s	HS
177	4,704	30.95	139.05	3/26	119