The Kerala star Sanju Samson was retained by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 14 Crore ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction and the Indian wicketkeeper-batter was also retained as the skipper of the franchise.
Samson was named the skipper of Royals following the release of Steve Smith ahead of the 2021 auction. Although he did not have a great record as captain in 2021, Samson led the side again in IPL 2022, where Royals won 9 and lost 5 in 14 league stage matches.
Upon reaching the playoff stages, Royals lost Qualifier 1 to Gujarat Titans, but beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in Qualifier 2 to reach their second ever IPL final.
However, Samson and his troops could not go all the way to clinch the title. In IPL 2023, Samson led Royals to seven wins and seven defeats in 14 matches, missing out on playoff spot.
Since their IPL debut, six players, including Samson, have captained the Royals with legendary Shane Warne being the most successful having led the "underdog" side to their only IPL title in the inaugural edition in 2008.
Rahul Dravid is the second most successful captain of the side followed by Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane and Shane Watson who had mixed stints as skipper of the franchise. Now, here is a look at Sanju Samson captaincy record and stats in IPL so far:
Matches as captain in IPL: 45
Won: 22
Lost: 23
Winning percentage: 48.89%
Matches: 45
Runs: 1304
Highest Score: 119 off 63 balls vs PBKS in 2021
Hundreds: 1
Fifties: 7
Sixes: 67
Fours: 113
Innings as wicketkeeper: 45
Dismissals: 33
Catches: 24
Stumpings: 9
Matches: 124
Runs: 3211
Highest Score: 119 off 63 balls vs PBKS in 2021
Hundreds: 2
Fifties: 17
Sixes: 155
Fours: 252
Innings as wicketkeeper: 92
Dismissals: 67
Catches: 53
Stumpings: 14
Catches (as fielder): 16
Matches: 152
Total Runs Scored: 3888
Highest Score: 119 off 63 balls vs PBKS in 2021
Hundreds: 3
Fifties: 20
Sixes: 182
Fours: 304
Innings as wicketkeeper: 93
Dismissals: 68
Catches (as wicketkeeper): 53
Stumpings: 15
Catches (as fielder): 23
Against Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Winning % |
CSK | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 80 |
MI | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
DC | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
RCB | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
KKR | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
SRH | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
PBKS | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
LSG | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
GT | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Player | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Winning % |
Shane Warne | 55 | 30 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 55.45 |
Sanju Samson | 45 | 22 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 48.89 |
Rahul Dravid | 34 | 18 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 52.94 |
Steve Smith | 27 | 15 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 57.69 |
Ajinkya Rahane | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 37.50 |
Shane Watson | 21 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 40 |