The young captain of the Rajasthan  Royals  (RR), Sanju Samson has been playing in the IPL since 2013 but the upcoming season will be a new experience for him. In IPL 2021, Samson will be leading a franchise for the very first time in his career. In January, the Royals replaced Steve Smith with Samson as their skipper after finishing at the 8th place in IPL 2020.

Samson, however, had a decent outing with the bat in IPL 2020. The right-handed batsman, who has been playing for the franchise since 2013, finished IPL 2020 as Royals’ top run-scorer with 375 runs in 14 innings at an impressive strike rate of 158.

ALSO READ: Kiran More, MI’s Keeping Consultant Tests Covid-19 Positive

Samson has performed consistently for the Royals and the team would be hoping that their fortunes change under their new skipper. Samson might be new to leading a team in the IPL but he has the experience of leading a squad in the domestic circuit. The Kerala star would be looking to end the Royals’ long wait for their second IPL title. The Royals win the inaugural edition of the IPL, but they haven’t won the trophy since then.

Sanju Samson recently opened up about the time when he received the news of getting Royals’ captaincy. In an interview with Hindustan Times, the star batsman revealed that he couldn’t resist sharing the news with his close circle—his parents and wife Charu as he said: “It was tough keeping it to myself.”

After the news was made public, Sanju. Samson received congratulatory messages from some of India’s biggest names in cricket – Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and MS Dhoni. He also revealed that becoming the captain of the team he is playing for since 2013 was a proud moment for him.

ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma And MI Stars Seen Dancing On The Famous Marathi Song

Samson explained, “I got some nice congratulatory messages from Virat bhai, Rohit bhai and Mahi bhai. The Royals have a quality bunch of great players and amazing support staff backing them. I’ve known most of them for years; they are like family. So, I’m in a comfortable space with the people I have around me. I have been part of the Royals from my teen days in 2013. Playing for one team for this long to now becoming captain, it’s a proud moment.”