Bengaluru, January 27: Sanju Samson was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for a whopping Rs 8 crore in the IPL auction on Saturday (January 27). But more than the huge price tag Sanju was delighted at the fact that he will be playing for Royals, a team where his journey had started under the tutelage of legendary Rahul Dravid.
"It is exciting for me to go back to Royals. My cricketing journey had started there some years back. I am happy that stayed for me in the bidding," Sanju told MyKhel.
Sanju said it will be a matter of delight for him to catch up with his former teammates at the Royals.
"It will be a fine moment for me to meet some of the teammates whom I used to play with like Ajinkya Rahane and Stuart Binny. It will be great to meet Steve Smith too as now he has gone on to become one of the best batsman in the world and the Australian captain," he said.
The Kerala player, who played for Delhi Daredevils in 2017 edition of the IPL, was happy that several teams showed interest in him. "Yes. It's a matter of joy that IPL teams are keeping an eye of domestic cricket and I feel this call up is a reward for my consistent domestic season."
But will that big price tag put pressure on him to perform? "I don't think so. If anything, it will be a motivation for me to raise my game and do well for the team. You can control only those things that you do on the field," Sanju said.