Sanju Samson has been part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for over a decade now and he is the face of the Rajasthan Royals (RR). He joined the Rajasthan-based franchise before IPL 2013 and made his debut in the season. Samson's heroics for RR pushed him close to India selection and he was part of the white-ball series against England in 2014. Samson finally made his India debut against Zimbabwe in 2015.
In the IPL 2018 mega-auction, RR re-signed Samson and he has been with them since then. Samson was named RR's captain before IPL 2021. Under him, RR made it to the final of IPL 2022, where they lost to Gujarat Titans (GT).
RR won the inaugural edition of IPL and they are waiting for their second title. But Samson is already a one-time IPL winner. Not many know that he was part of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2012.
Before IPL 2014, IPL franchises had to sign uncapped players outside of the auction. Samson wasn't in the scheme of things in 2012 and KKR signed him outside of the auction.
Samson remained on the bench in IPL 2012. Gautam Gambhir-led KKR ended Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) dominance to win the title for the first time. They emulated their heroics in 2014. Samson moved to RR before IPL 2013. RR saw a future star in Samson and he is still part of the Rajasthan-based franchise.
Rahul Dravid to coach Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals made a huge signing recently and they roped in Rahul Dravid as the head coach. Dravid had a five-year stint with RR from IPL 2011 to 2015. He played for RR from IPL 2011 to 2013.
Dravid retired from the game after the Champions League 2013 and became RR's chief coach. He coached the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2016 and 2017. Dravid worked with Team India between 2021 to 2024.