Sanju Samson came into reckoning with his gritty knocks for Rajasthan Royals in his debut season for the franchise. The wicketkeeper-batter from Kerala was groomed by Rahul Dravid into a tough campaigner. He joined the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) squad in 2016 and played some crucial innings for the team during his two seasons with them before moving back to Rajasthan Royals. Sanju scored 342 runs in TATA IPL 2019 and then followed it up with 375 runs in the IPL 2020. He was moved into a senior position when named captain for the 2021 season. The stylish top-order batter played a big role in RR’s run to the 2022 final, with bat in hand as well, scoring 458 runs (third-highest run-getter for RR). He then scored 531 runs in IPL 2024 and led them to the playoffs yet again. The 2025 season marked the end of an era for Samson in RR colours as he was traded to Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2026. He goes into the new season on the back of a Player of the Tournament performance in India’s victorious ICC Men’s T20 WC winning campaign.