Sanju Samson is enjoying a wonderful run in the ongoing 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as captain of Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Samson, 29, has guided the team into Qualifier 2 and therefore there is a genuine chance for the side to retain the title which they had won in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008 under Shane Warne's leadership.
Notably, Rajasthan's latest win over RCB in the Eliminator has helped Sanju equal an illustrious record that previously belonged to Warne.
Sanju has now registered the joint-most wins as captain for Rajasthan Royals. The Trivandrum-born now has 31 wins as captain of Rajasthan. On the other hand, Warne also led Royals to 31 triumphs during his tenure as captain from 2008 to 2011.
Samson has 31 wins in 60 matches with a win percentage of 51.66 whereas Warne led Royals in 56 games with a win percentage of 55.35%.
Most wins as captain for Rajasthan Royals
Players | Span | Matches | Wins | Losses | Tied | No Result | Win Percentage |
Sanju Samson | 2021-2024 | 60 | 31 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 51.66% |
Shane Warne | 2008-2011 | 56 | 31 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 55.35% |
Rahul Dravid | 2012-2013 | 40 | 23 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 57.50% |
Steven Smith | 2014-2020 | 27 | 15 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 55.55% |
Ajinkya Rahane | 2018-2019 | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 37.50% |
Shane Watson | 2008-2015 | 21 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 33.33% |
Samson was buoyant after the win in the Eliminator. He lauded the efforts of Ravichandran Ashwin, who won the Player of the Match (POTM) award for bagging figures of 2/19 and also appreciated Avesh Khan for his disciplined bowling.
"We will have some great days, we will have some really bad days. Important to bounce back. The way we batted, bowled and fielded, I am really happy. All the credit has to go to the players," said Samson during the post-match presentation.
"We look at the fieldset and planning, the credit has to go to Sanga and the team of support staff for discussing tactics. Ashwin and Avesh bowled tremendously well. If you look at our batting unit, there is a lot of youngsters. They are 22 years old, they are less experienced but they played well. A few of us are not 100%. We have the momentum now, so the dressing room is confident."