Rajasthan will begin its IPL campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium
Our Bureau
Jaipur
Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson has hailed Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the youngest signing in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the age of 13, hailing his six-hitting ability and saying that the batter looks ready to “land a few punches”.
During the IPL mega-auction last year, one of the biggest surprises that emerged was Suryavanshi becoming a Royal for Rs 1.1 crore. Born on March 27, 2011, in Bihar, Vaibhav is the youngest player on the list. He made his first-class debut for Bihar in January 2024 at just 12 years and 284 days old. Last year, he was part of India U19’s match against Australia in Chennai, where he smashed a 58-ball century.
Speaking to JioHotstar as a part of the ‘SuperStar’ programme, Samson said that young players today do not lack confidence and understand the brand of Indian cricket that needs to be played. “For me, rather than giving advice, I prefer observing first–how a youngster wants to play his cricket, what he likes, and what kind of support he needs from me. Then, I work my way around that. Vaibhav looks very confident; he was hitting sixes out of the ground at the academy. People were already talking about his power-hitting. What else can you ask for? It is all about understanding his strengths, backing him, and being there for him like an elder brother,” he added.
Ahead of the Indian Premier League 2025, Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson described how much he values spending time with former India and Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni. Dhoni will be playing in the 2025 IPL season for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), chasing his sixth title. Under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad. CSK will start off their campaign against five-time champions and arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) at their home ground of Chepauk.
“Like every young Indian cricketer, I always wanted to be around MS Dhoni. Every time we played against CSK, I wanted to sit and talk to him, ask him how he does things. It was a dream for me. I remember playing a match against CSK in Sharjah, where I finally performed well, scored around 70-80 runs, won the game, and became the Man of the Match. After that, I met Mahi bhai, and since then, our relationship has grown. Even now, I meet him often. Just yesterday, I met him again. It’s truly a blessed feeling–to go from idolizing him to now sitting with him for shoots and events. I feel like I’m living my dream,” Samson said while speaking on JioHotstar as a part of the ‘SuperStar’ programme.
Since his retirement from international cricket in 2020, Dhoni has only appeared in the IPL. In the 2024 season, he scored 161 runs at a strike rate of 220 and an average of 53.66 after 11 innings, staying unbeaten eight times and fulfilling the role of a finisher for the five-time champions.
Dhoni is the sixth-highest run-getter in IPL history, with 5.243 runs in 264 matches and 229 innings at an average of 39.12, a strike rate of 137.53 and 24 fifties. His best score is 84*. Other than CSK, he also played for Rising Pune Supergiant (RPG), a now-defunct franchise, from 2016-17.
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson also reflected on “one of the most challenging things” for him, which turns out to be letting go of explosive opener Jos Buttler ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Buttler joined the Royals in 2018 and left in 2024 after the franchise decided against retaining him before the mega-auction last year. He is Rajasthan’s third-highest run-getter, with a whopping 3098 runs in 83 matches at a stellar average of 41.84.
The Royals decided to retain six players for the upcoming edition of the cash-rich league, but Buttler wasn’t a name that popped up on that list. He came up for auction and was acquired by the Gujarat Titans for a hefty sum of Rs 15.75 crore.
“IPL gives you the opportunity to lead a team and play at the highest level, but it also allows you to build close friendships. Jos Buttler is one of my closest friends. We played together for seven years, forming a long batting partnership,” Samson told Jiostar.
Buttler’s departure has affected Samson, who considers the English star his “elder brother.” During England’s white-ball tour of India, Samson revealed he had a conversation with the former English skipper over dinner and told him that he was still not over Buttler not being a part of the RR franchise anymore.
Rajasthan will begin its IPL campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
