Sanju Samson may not have performed consistently for India, but he is a different player in the IPL. The Kerala batter has been consistent in the cash-rich league since his debut in 2013.
Samson has established himself as the lynchpin of Rajasthan Royals since then. And now he even leads the team in the league from the front, scoring valuable runs and making crucial decisions from behind the stumps.
The attacking wicketkeeper-batter has displayed his leadership skills by guiding Rajasthan Royals to the playoffs in a couple of seasons.
Here we’ll look at the career stats, records, and salary of Sanju Samson in every IPL season.
Sanju Samoson IPL Debut
Sanju Samson was part of Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2012 season, but he didn’t feature in any games. The next season, Samson made his way to Rajasthan Royal’s camp and got his maiden cap.
His IPl debut came against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) on April 14, 2013, in Jaipur. In his first match, Samson scored an unbeaten 27 and took three catches behind the wickets, helping Rajasthan win the match.
In all, Samson scored 206 runs in 10 innings at a moderate strike rate of 115.73 in his debut IPL season.
| Match | Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings |
| Series | Indian Premier League 2013 |
| Venue | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur |
| Date & Time | April 14, 08:00 PM LOCAL |
Read Also:- IPL 2025 Mega Auction
Sanju Samson Performance in IPL 2024
Sanju Samson had a remarkable outing in the IPL 2024 season. He led the Rajasthan Royals’ unit from the front, scoring 500 runs in an IPL season for the first time.
The wicketkeeper-batter accumulated 531 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 153.46, including five fifties. His best batting performance came against Delhi Capitals, as he scored 86 in 46 balls.
Samson was their second-highest run-getter in IPL 2024, helping the Royals to make their second playoff appearance in the last three seasons.
Sanju Samson Last IPL
Sanju Samson’s last appearance came in the IPL 2024. He led Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 24, 2024.
He won the toss and asked Hyderabad to bat first. Hyderabad mustered 175 runs batting first, while Rajasthan faltered by 36 runs chasing the target.
Samson couldn’t put up a valuable performance, scoring only 10 runs off 11 deliveries, including a boundary.
| Match | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals |
| Series | Indian Premier League 2024 |
| Venue | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Date & Time | May 24, 07:30 PM LOCAL |
Sanju Samson IPL Earnings & Auction History
Sanju Samson bagged his first IPL deal in 2012, as Kolkata Knight Riders acquired him for INR 8 lakhs. Kolkata released him next season, after which Rajasthan Royals took him under their wings for INR 10 lakhs.
In 2014, the Royals bought him back for INR 4 crore before the franchise was banned in 2016. Samson then moved to Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) for the next two seasons at INR 4. crore.
Rajasthan Royals came back in the IPL in 2018, and so did Samson into the Royals colours. The franchise shelled INR 8 crore to have him back.
In 2022, the Royals retained Samson for INR 14 crore while he was at the helm of the team. Ahead of the 2025 auction, he was Rajasthan’s top retention, and the franchise has kept their skipper at a whopping INR 18 crore.
| Year | Price | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14.00 Cr | RR (Likely to Retained) |
| 2024 | 14.00 Cr | RR |
| 2023 | 14.00 Cr | RR |
| 2022 | 14.00 Cr | RR |
| 2021 | 8.00 Cr | RR |
| 2020 | 8.00 Cr | RR |
| 2019 | 8.00 Cr | RR |
| 2018 | 8.00 Cr | RR |
| 2017 | 4.20 Cr | DC |
| 2016 | 4.20 Cr | DC |
| 2015 | 4.00 Cr | RR |
| 2014 | 4.00 Cr | RR |
You Can Also Read:- RR IPL 2025 – Retained & Released Players List
Sanju Samson Batting Stats in IPL
| Year | Mat | Runs | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 167 | 4419 | 119 | 30.69 | 3180 | 138.96 | 3 | 25 | 352 | 206 |
| 2024 | 15 | 531 | 86 | 48.27 | 346 | 153.47 | 0 | 5 | 48 | 24 |
| 2023 | 14 | 362 | 66* | 30.17 | 236 | 153.39 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 24 |
| 2022 | 17 | 458 | 55 | 28.63 | 312 | 146.79 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 26 |
| 2021 | 14 | 484 | 119 | 40.33 | 354 | 136.72 | 1 | 2 | 45 | 17 |
| 2020 | 14 | 375 | 85 | 28.84 | 236 | 158.89 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 26 |
| 2019 | 12 | 342 | 102* | 34.2 | 230 | 148.69 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 13 |
| 2018 | 15 | 441 | 92* | 31.5 | 320 | 137.81 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 19 |
| 2017 | 14 | 386 | 102 | 27.57 | 273 | 141.39 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 19 |
| 2016 | 14 | 291 | 60 | 26.45 | 259 | 112.35 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 8 |
| 2015 | 14 | 204 | 76 | 20.4 | 163 | 125.15 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 8 |
| 2014 | 13 | 339 | 74 | 26.07 | 273 | 124.17 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 17 |
| 2013 | 11 | 206 | 63 | 25.75 | 178 | 115.73 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 5 |
Want to know which team Sanju Samson will play for in IPL 2025?
Sanju Samson has been the backbone of Rajasthan Royals since his debut. He has done extremely well for the team first as a wicketkeeper-batter and now as the captain.
Thanks to his impressive performance over the year in the IPL, the Royals management has put faith in him. Rajasthan retained him once again for INR 18 crore. So Samson will be back in the pink jersey to play in the IPL 2025 season.
Read Also:- IPL 2025 Retained Players List
