At a glance
- Sanju Samson profile: Patience finally rewarded on the international stage
- India debut, comeback and eventual breakthrough at the third time of asking
- Solid grounding in the IPL and going through the gears from Rajasthan Royals to the Chennai Super Kings
With his fifth IPL century yesterday in the Chennai Super Kings’ 103 run ‘El Classico’ victory over the Mumbai Indians, Sanju Samson moved level with KL Rahul for the fourth most hundreds in the competition.
Samson’s strong start to life at the Super Kings mirrors much of his career progression, in terms of his ability to take opportunities at the right time.
A stalwart of the IPL, who has only recently started to make waves on the international stage, Samson has had to do it the hard way.
Early Career and the IPL Comes Calling
Despite making his first-class debut for Kerala in 2011, Samson’s domestic career really took of in the 2013 – 2024 addition of the Ranji Trophy.
Samson scored the most runs of any Kerala batter that season, compiling 530 at an average of 58.88. In the first match of the season, the wicket-keeper batter also amassed his highest first-class score, making 211 against Assam.
Earlier in 2013, Samson finally managed to make his breakthrough in the IPL, as the Rajasthan Royals gave him his chance.
Having being named in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ player pool in 2009 and being signed by them in 2012, he only made his debut in the competition for the Royals, following an injury to Dishant Yagnik.
Samson became the youngest IPL half-centurion in just his second match with 63 from 41, joining on to win the 2013 Emerging Player Award with 206 runs and six stumpings.
Indian Debut Proves to be a False Dawn
Samson’s first India call-up followed in 2014 for their six match white-ball tour of England.
However, as back-up to captain MS Dhoni, Samson did not get out onto the pitch and received his first taste of the challenge trying to force his way through into such a star-studded line-up.
He did make his T20 International (T20I) debut on 19th July 2015 in Harare, making 19 as India lost to Zimbabwe by 10 runs.
First IPL Century and Rediscovering Domestic Form
After the Rajasthan Royals were banned for two seasons of the IPL, due to betting and match-fixing offences, Samson joined the Delhi Capitals.
Samson rose to the occasion once again, smashing his first T20 and IPL century in the 2017 addition of the IPL.
He made 102 from 63 deliveries in a 97 run victory for the Capitals over Rising Pune Supergiant.
Samson also broke a run of two sub-standard Ranji Trophy campaigns in 2017 – 2018, scoring 627 runs for Kerala as they reached their first ever quarter-final.
In the 2019 – 2020 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he made his maiden List A double century.
His 212* from 129 balls against Goa was the second fastest List A double hundred and the fastest by an Indian at the time.
India Comeback Without Breaking Through
Off the back of his stunning innings against Goa, Samson earned an India recall in 2019, after four years away from the international set-up.
Once more though, Samson failed to nail down a place and found himself in and out of the side.
He made his One Day International (ODI) debut against Sri Lanka on 23rd July 2021, making a run-a-ball 46 in a Sri Lanka victory.
India’s abundance of wicket-keeper batters meant that Samson missed out on India’s T20 World Cup Squad in 2021, with Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul making the cut for India’s disappointing Super 12 exit.
Rajasthan Royals Captaincy
Following his return to the Royals in 2018, Samson was appointed as captain in 2021.
He started as he meant to go on by becoming the first captain in IPL history to score a century in their first match as captain.
Although his 119 from 63 balls was in vain in a four run triumph for the Punjab Kings, it sparked a successful period for the Royals under Samson’s stewardship.
The Royals reached the final in 2022, ultimately losing to the Gujarat Titans by seven wickets, with Samson surpassing Ajinkya Rahane as the Royals’ highest run-scorer in the same season.
Samson also led his franchise to Qualifier Two in the 2024 season, where they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
International Take-Off and First World Cup Triumph
After also missing out on the T20 World Cup in 2022, Samson’s international career finally took off at the backend of 2023 and into 2024.
He made his first international hundred on 30th November 2023, making 108 from 114 deliveries, as India won their ODI decider in South Africa by 78 runs.
Samson was included within India’s T20 World Cup squad for the 2024 tournament.
Although he ran the drinks throughout the tournament in the West Indies and USA, Samson was still part of India’s second T20 World Cup triumph.
The final few months of 2024 were where Samson really made his mark though, starting with a maiden T20I century against Bangladesh in October, with his 111 from 47 balls leading India to victory.
Samson then bookended India’s T20I series in South Africa with further blistering centuries.
He made 107 from 50 deliveries in the first match, which saw him become the first Indian to make back-to-back T20I centuries.
In the fourth match, Samson shared a record, unbroken partnership of 210 for the second wicket with fellow centurion Tilak Varma.
Samson’s 109* from 56 balls, his third T20I century of 2024, also saw him break the record for the most T20I centuries in a year.
Starring in India’s World Cup Retention and Electric Start in Yellow
India’s embarrassment of riches was clear for all to see at the start of the 2026 T20 World Cup, as Samson was forced to keep warm on the bench once more, with Kishan taking the gloves.
Despite a sprightly 22 from 8 in place of the injured Abhishek Sharma against Namibia, Samson then sat out India’s next three games.
With the Indian hierarchy looking to break up their left-hand dominated top order, Samson returned with 24 from 15 against Zimbabwe.
When his country needed him most, Samson stepped up against the West Indies, cooly making 97* from 50 deliveries to set up a semi-final against England.
He backed this innings up with a rapid 89 from 42 balls in India’s seven run victory over England.
89 was clearly Samson’s number of choice, as he made this score once again in the final, albeit from 46 deliveries this time, in India’s 96 run rout of New Zealand.
Although he only played five of India’s nine matches, Samson’s 321 runs at an average of 80.25 and ability to stand up when his country needed him most saw him earn the Player of the Tournament Award.
His impressive form also saw him pick up the ICC’s Player of the Month Award for March, which he has ruthlessly continued into April.
After swapping Rajasthan pink for Chennai yellow, he has made an incredible start, scoring his fourth and fifth IPL centuries within his first seven games for his new franchise.
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