Received congratulatory messages from Kohli, Dhoni after becoming RR captain: Sanju Samson

Indian wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson has been appointed as RR's captain for the upcoming IPL 2021 edition. Samson recently disclosed that he got congratulatory messages from Kohli, Rohit and Dhoni after becoming RR captain. Rajasthan Royals are prepared to venture upon a new journey when they will kick off their IPL 2021 campaign on April 11 against the Punjab Kings (PKBS) in Mumbai. The one-time IPL winner will be led by Sanju Samson, who was appointed as the captain of the team prior to the mini-auction.

Australian batsman Steve Smith, who was the Rajasthan Royals skipper last year, made way for Sanju Samson. This is the third change in skipper for the team in as many years after Ajinkya Rahane made way for Steve Smith in 2020. In 2019, Rajasthan Royals started under the leadership of India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane but sacked him as the captain after the team had just two wins in the first eight games. Steve Smith was made the captain for the next five matches, where they managed to win three games. But Steve Smith then had to depart for national duty, and Rahane returned for the remaining games.

RR finished the tournament at the bottom of the points table in 2020

The Jaipur-based franchise struggled for consistency throughout the season. They ultimately finished the tournament at the bottom of the points table in 2020. Sanju Samson, however, had a decent outing. The right-handed batsman, who has been playing for the team since 2013, finished IPL 2020 as Royals' top run-scorer. The 26-year-old scored 375 runs in 14 innings at an impressive strike rate of 158.

Sanju Samson has been performing consistently for the Royals. The franchise would now be expecting that their fortunes change under their new captain. Samson might be new to leading a team in the IPL, but he has captaincy experience in the domestic circuit. The Kerala batsman would be looking to end the Royals' long wait for their second IPL victory. Rajasthan Royals have not won the trophy since winning the inaugural season back in the year 2008.

Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2021

Sanju Samson (C), Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Anuj Rawat, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Mustafizur Rahman, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Kartik Tyagi, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Yashasvi Jaiswal, David Miller, Manan Vohra, Christopher Morris, Chetan Sakariya, Liam Livingstone, K.C. Cariappa, Akash Singh, Kuldip Yadav.

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