Personal Details

• 🎂 Date of Birth
• 11 November 1994
• 🌍 Place of Birth
• Pulluvila, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, India
• 👨‍👩‍👦 Family
• Father: Samson Viswanath
• Mother: Ligy Viswanath
• Siblings: Saly Samson
• Spouse: Charulatha Remesh

Early Career

• 🏫 Early Life & Education
• Samson spent his early childhood in the Police Residential Colony in GTB Nagar, North Delhi. He studied at Rosary Senior Secondary School, Delhi, and trained under coach Yashpal at the academy in DL DAV Model School, Shalimar Bagh.
• When he missed selection for the Delhi U13 team for the Dhruv Pandove Trophy, his father voluntarily retired from the Delhi Police. A year later, after retiring from football, his father moved the family to Kerala to support the cricketing careers of Sanju and his brother.
• In Kerala, Sanju trained at the Masters Cricket Club, Thiruvananthapuram, before moving to train under Biju George at the Medical College Ground, Thiruvananthapuram.
• 🎓 Higher Education
• He completed his high school education at St. Joseph's Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram, and later pursued a B.A. in English Literature from Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram.

Career Journey

• 🏏 Youth Career
• Sanju Samson started with Kerala U-13 in 2007, captaining the team and scoring 973 runs with four centuries. He moved up to the U-16 and U-19 levels, scoring a double century in the Vijay Merchant Trophy and captaining Kerala at junior levels. He played for India U-19, serving as vice-captain in multiple tournaments, including the 2014 U-19 World Cup, finishing as India’s top run-scorer.
• 🏠 Early Domestic Career
• At 14, Sanju became the youngest player for Kerala in the Ranji Trophy. He made his first-class debut in 2011, his T20 debut in 2011, and his List-A debut in 2012. He scored his first first-class century in 2012–13 and a double century in 2013–14. He represented South Zone and India A, scoring heavily, including in the 2014 Australia A Quadrangular Series.
• ⚡ Challenges & Inconsistent Seasons
• Appointed Kerala captain in 2015–16 at age 20, he showed flashes of brilliance but struggled with consistency. He faced a show-cause notice for indiscipline but continued working on his game.
• 🔥 Return to Form
• Sanju led Kerala in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy, becoming their top scorer and helping the team reach its first-ever Ranji quarter-final. He scored a maiden List-A double century (212*) in 2019–20, forming a 338-run partnership, one of the highest in Indian List-A cricket.
• He captained Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, and India A in 2022, finishing as the highest run-scorer in the series against New Zealand A.
• 🏏 Maiden Call-up & Debut (2014–2015)
• Sanju Samson received his first call-up to the Indian squad in August 2014 for a series against England but did not make it to the final eleven, remaining a backup wicketkeeper to MS Dhoni. He was also named in the probables list for the 2015 Cricket World Cup but did not make the final squad. Samson made his T20I debut on 19 July 2015 against Zimbabwe in Harare, scoring 36 runs in a low-scoring chase, although India lost the match by 10 runs.
• ⚡ Stop-Start Career (2019–2021)
• After a four-year absence, Sanju was recalled to the Indian squad in October 2019 for the T20I series against Bangladesh, but he did not play. He was later included in the T20I series against West Indies and Sri Lanka, though he struggled with consistency. In June 2021, he was named in India’s ODI and T20I squads for the Sri Lanka series. He made his ODI debut on 23 July 2021, scoring 46 runs in a run-a-ball innings, but had limited success in T20Is, and missed out on the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup due to poor form.
• 🔥 Comeback & Key Performances (2022–2023)
• In February 2022, Samson scored 39 and 18 in T20Is against Sri Lanka. In June 2022, he recorded his maiden T20I half-century, scoring 77 off 42 balls against Ireland and forming a 176-run partnership with Deepak Hooda, which became India’s highest partnership for any wicket in men’s T20Is. He made his maiden ODI fifty in July 2022 against the West Indies and scored an unbeaten 43 against Zimbabwe, earning the Man of the Match award. In October 2022, he scored an unbeaten 86 in the first ODI against South Africa. Samson also played in tours of the West Indies and Ireland in 2023, scoring 51 in the third ODI against the West Indies and 40 off 26 balls in the T20I against Ireland.
• 🏆 Milestone Achievements (2023–2024)
• On 21 December 2023, Samson scored his maiden ODI century, making 108 runs against South Africa in the series decider and winning the Man of the Match. He was selected in India’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which India won. In October 2024, he scored his maiden T20I century, making 111 runs off 47 balls against Bangladesh and setting multiple records, including the second-fastest T20I century by an Indian and the highest individual T20I score by an Indian against Bangladesh.
• During India’s T20I tour of South Africa in 2024, Samson scored 107 in the first match and 109* in the fourth match, becoming the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter to score consecutive T20I centuries in South Africa. He also shared a record 210-run unbeaten partnership with Tilak Varma in the fourth T20I. By scoring three T20I centuries in 2024, he became the batsman with the most T20I centuries in a calendar year. On 21 January 2026, he took a spectacular one-handed diving catch to dismiss Devon Conway against New Zealand.
• 🏏 IPL Journey
• Sanju was first included in Kolkata Knight Riders’ player pool in 2009 and again in 2012, but he did not play and was released before the 2013 season. He made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals on 14 April 2013 against Kings XI Punjab, replacing the injured Dishant Yagnik. In his second match, he scored 63 runs from 41 balls, becoming the youngest player at the time to score a half-century in IPL. He finished the 2013 season with 206 runs and six stumpings, winning the Emerging Player of the Year award.
• Samson made his Champions League T20 debut in 2013 for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians, scoring 54 runs off 47 balls, and became the youngest player to score a half-century in CLT20.
• 🔁 Transfers & Centuries
• After Rajasthan Royals were banned for two years, Delhi Daredevils signed Samson in 2016, where he scored his first T20 century against Rising Pune Supergiants in the 2017 IPL. He returned to the Rajasthan Royals in 2018 and scored his second IPL century (102*) against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 2020, he scored 74 off 32 balls against Chennai Super Kings and 85 off 42 balls in one of the highest successful run chases in IPL history. During that season, he also played his 100th IPL match.
• 👑 Captaincy & Record Seasons
• In January 2021, Samson was named captain of the Rajasthan Royals. He scored a century in his first match as captain, becoming the first IPL captain to do so. Later that season, he crossed 3,000 IPL runs. Under his leadership in 2022, the Rajasthan Royals reached the IPL final, finishing as runners-up, and Samson became the all-time leading run-scorer for the Rajasthan Royals, surpassing Ajinkya Rahane.
• In 2023, he scored 362 runs in 14 matches, finishing fifth on the points table. In 2024, he had his best IPL season, scoring 531 runs in 16 matches with 5 half-centuries, while leading Rajasthan Royals to third place in the league stage and a win in Qualifier 2 before losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
• ⚡ Playing Style
• Sanju is known as a naturally aggressive and elegant batsman with excellent wicket-keeping skills. He holds the bat high on the handle, has fast hands, powerful forearms, and superb hand-eye coordination. He is an excellent timer of the ball, prefers to stay still at the crease, and plays straight and aerial shots confidently. Analysts have compared his powerful stroke-making to Rohit Sharma and AB de Villiers. He is also a flexible and athletic fielder, capable of fielding in any position.
• 🌟 Outside Cricket
• Outside cricket, Samson worked as a manager at Bharat Petroleum in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016. In 2018, he founded the Six Guns Sports Academy, training young cricket and football players. He was appointed as State election icon of Kerala in 2021. In February 2023, he became brand ambassador of Kerala Blasters FC, and in October 2025, he was named India brand ambassador for the English Premier League.

Achievements and Milestones

• IPL Emerging Player of the Year – 2013
• Maiden List-A Double Century – 2019–20 Vijay Hazare Trophy
• First IPL Captain to score a century – 2021
• All-time leading run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals – 2022
• Man of the Match, Maiden ODI Century – 2023
• Maiden T20I Century – 2024
• Three T20I Centuries in a Calendar Year – 2024