IPL auctions: Sanju Samson happy to be back ‘home’

It’s a homecoming for Sanju Samson after a couple of years. The wicketkeeper-batsman from Kerala was roped in by his old franchise Rajasthan Royals for a whopping Rs 8 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions on Saturday.

The 23-year-old, Sanju Samson is elated to be back at Royals.

It’s a homecoming for Sanju Samson after a couple of years. The wicketkeeper-batsman from Kerala was roped in by his old franchise Rajasthan Royals for a whopping Rs 8 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions on Saturday.

This also made him the costliest wicketkeeper this time around.

The youngster, who was Royals’ biggest discovery a few years back, was part of some heavy bidding from Royals and Mumbai Indians. While his former team — Delhi Daredevils — too had a chance of getting him back using the Right to Match card, it decided to let the Kerala boy go.

The 23-year-old, however, was elated to be back at Royals. “It feels good be back to Rajasthan Royals. It is a home for me and I am lucky that they picked me again. It’s a great feeling,” Samson told Sportstar , minutes after sealing the big deal.

While he agrees that a sum of Rs 8 crore is huge money, Samson wants to keep things simple and not get carried away. “The money is definitely huge and I would want to spend it wisely. But for me, it is more important to keep performing,” the young gun said.

When he first entered the IPL arena, he was picked by Royals for just Rs 10 lakh and he has come a long way since. “The deal will not put any pressure on me and I would keep all the focus on preparation and play the same way as I did earlier,” he said.

After having a good outing at the domestic season, the Kerala boy is now looking forward to make it to the national team at the ‘earliest’. “I want to play for India as soon as possible and I am working hard for that. IPL is definitely a big platform, but the ultimate goal is to don the blue jersey at the earliest and I want to fulfil my dream,” Samson said.

In his IPL career, Samson tasted success with Royals and now that the franchise is back to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Samson believes that it will help the side get huge support from the locals. “Royals coming back to Jaipur is a huge thing and we would get more home support. It has a great ground and the entire support staff has been very friendly. We missed them in these years,” Samson said.

Chasing the dream of donning India colours, Samson would be hoping to make the most of the opportunity at Royals.