Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson is a cricket player for India.  He is a right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper who leads Kerala in domestic cricket and the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

He has represented the Indian Cricket Team in T20Is and ODIs as of September 2025. The star batter from Kerala is yet to make his Test debut for the national team.

Sanju Samson: Along the Years

Sanju Samson Records

• Was involved in the highest T20I partnership for the second wicket (210* runs).

• 7th on the list in terms of individual score by a wicket-keeper in T20I.

• Scored consecutive T20I hundreds.

Sanju Samson Awards and Accolades

• Emerging Player of the Season, IPL 2013

• Fastest double hundred in List-A

Sanju Samson Career

Sanju Samson's IPL career started in 2013, and his international career started in 2015.

Sanju Samson's Domestic Career

Sanju Samson made his first-class debut for the Kerala Ranji team on 3 November 2011 against Vidarbha at the young age of 17. He made an impact almost immediately as he scored two hundred and a fifty in five appearances the next season.

The Ranji Trophy 2013-14 was the breakthrough season for Samson as he truly came to the party. In the first match, Assam put in a challenging total of 323 runs in the first inning. However, Sanju Samson eclipsed Assam's innings by scoring a career-best 211 to give Kerala a vital 39-run lead. He hit 23 fours and 5 sixes to bring up his first double-century in the Ranji Trophy.

He was the highest scorer of the Ranji Trophy 2013-14 after the second round of matches with 377 runs off 2 matches at an average of 188.5. In all, he played six matches (11 innings) and ended up as Kerala's highest run-getter, scoring 530 runs at an average of 58.88.

Samson's highest point in the domestic circuit came in the 2019-20 season when, during the Vijay Hazare match against Goa, he smashed an unbeaten double-century. The Kerala wicket-keeper batsman made his way into the record books by smashing an unbeaten 212 off just 129 balls to register the highest individual score in List A cricket by a wicket-keeper batsman. Samson got past Pakistan’s Abid Ali’s record, who had scored an unbeaten 208 in Pakistan’s domestic one-day competition in 2018.

Sanju Samson IPL Career

After an impressive Ranji Trophy debut season, Sanju Samson went to the Rajasthan Royals in 2013. However, as the franchise was banned for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, the Delhi Daredevils bought Samson. He didn't disappoint his new franchise, as in 201,7 he ended up as Delhi's third-highest run-getter.

Sanju scored his maiden T20 century in IPL 2017 against Rising Pune Supergiant on 11 Apr 2017 at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune. When Rajasthan came back into the IPL fold in January 2018, he was instantly bought by the franchise for Rs. 8 Crores in the IPL auction. On March 29, 2019, Sanju Samson scored his second IPL century against Sunrisers Hyderabad, hitting 102 not out off just 55 balls, which included 10 fours and 4 sixes.

Batting & Fielding:

Sanju Samson's International Career

Sanju Samson debuted for the Indian cricket team way back in 2015, but has yet to make a mark in the international forum.

Sanju Samson ODI Career

Sanju Samson made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka on July 23, 2021. He has scored 510 runs in 16 matches at a staggering average of 56.67. His maiden ODI century came against South Africa in December 2023 in tricky conditions, and Sanju made the most of the opportunity presented to him.

Batting & Fielding:

Sanju Samson T20I Career

Before making his debut, Sanju was selected in the 17-man squad to play against England in 5 ODIs and a T20 in 2014; however, he did not get a chance to start in the Playing XI. Sanju Samson continued making big runs and consistent performances in the IPL and Ranji Trophy, which meant that the Kerala lad was picked for the Zimbabwe tour in 2015. He made his first appearance for India in a T20 game. However, it did not turn out to be a good match for him as he only managed to score 19 runs off 24 deliveries. 

He was selected for the T20I series of the India tour of New Zealand in 2020 and was part of the playing eleven as an opener. Though he couldn't create the desired impact with the bat, he had finally made a spot in the team after 4 years in the wilderness.

Sanju scored his maiden T20I half-century against Ireland in Dublin. The Kerala batter was named in the India squad for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies as a wicket-keeper batter alongside Rishabh Pant. After Virat Kohli's and Rohit Sharma's retirements, he is a mainstay in the T20I setup.

Batting & Fielding:

Sanju Samson Captaincy

Ahead of IPL 2021, the Rajasthan Royals think-tank appointed Sanju Samson as the leader of the franchise. However, he did not have a great run as a skipper as RR finished seventh on the points table. The IPL 2022 mega auction saw RR management bagging a few big buys, and the team finished as runners-up under Sanju’s captaincy. Sanju and his boys narrowly missed out on a playoff spot in IPL 2023. The 2024 season saw the emergence of the Royals as they finished 3rd, but in the 2025 season, they finished 9th.

Sanju Samson U-19 Career

Sanju Samson played the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2014 for India as a vice-captain and kept the wickets. He scored 160 runs at an average of 40 and was the highest scorer for India in that tournament.

Sanju Samson Family

Sanju Samson was born on 11 November 1994 to Lily and Samson Viswanath. His father was a Police Constable in the Delhi Police. Samson married his college-mate and longtime girlfriend, Charulatha Remesh, in Thiruvananthapuram on 22 December 2018. He also has a brother by the name of Saly Samson.

Sanju Samson's Salary

For the 2025 IPL season, Sanju Samson earned ₹18 crore. He was one of the highest-paid players in the competition because his team, the Rajasthan Royals, decided to retain him.

Sanju Samson is in Grade C for the 2024–25 BCCI central contract period (which runs through September 30, 2025), and he gets INR 1 crore in retainer money annually. He will receive match fees in addition to his BCCI income for playing for India in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

Sanju Samson House

Sanju Samson resides in his lavish bungalow in Thiruvananthapuram and also owns houses in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

Sanju Samson Cars

Sanju Samson owns about four cars in his garage, namely the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Range Rover Sport.