Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson turned 32 on Wednesday, highlighting a career marked by both challenges and significant achievements with the Men in Blue and in the Indian Premier League (IPL).Beginning with early promise for Rajasthan Royals and the India U19 team, Samson’s journey reached a pinnacle this year as he played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup victory. Known for his aggressive, high-risk batting style, he has often faced inconsistency, at times playing second fiddle to contemporaries such as Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni, KL Rahul, and Ishan Kishan. However, in recent years, he has established himself as one of the world’s most formidable openers.In 82 T20 Internationals for India, Samson has scored 1,842 runs in 74 innings, averaging 26.69 with a strike rate of 158.24. His record includes three centuries, 11 half-centuries, and a highest score of 111. In 16 One Day Internationals, he has made 510 runs at an average of 56.66, with one century and three half-centuries, and a top score of 108.Samson’s international honours include two T20 World Cup titles, notably earning the Player of the Tournament award in 2026 after amassing 321 runs and recording three consecutive fifties from the knockout stage against West Indies through to the final against New Zealand. He has also won the Asia Cup and an Asian Games gold medal with the Indian team.Throughout his IPL career, Samson has represented Rajasthan Royals for the majority of matches, along with stints at Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings. He has amassed 5,181 runs in 191 matches at an average of 31.78 and a strike rate exceeding 141, with five centuries and 27 half-centuries. His highest IPL score is 119, positioning him as the ninth-highest run-scorer in the league’s history.
Among Samson’s notable records in international cricket and the IPL are:
Most runs in a single T20 World Cup edition for India: Samson scored 321 runs in five innings during the 2026 T20 World Cup, surpassing Virat Kohli’s previous record of 319 runs in six innings in 2014. These runs came at an average of 80.25 and strike rate of 199.38, including a top score of 97 not out.Most sixes in a T20 World Cup edition: Samson hit 24 sixes in five innings, the highest by any batter in a single T20 World Cup edition.Highest score by an Indian in a T20 international tournament final: His 89 runs off 46 balls in the 2026 T20 World Cup final is the best score by an Indian in a T20 tournament final.First Indian wicketkeeper to score a T20 international century: Samson’s 47-ball 111 against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in October 2024 marked the first T20I century by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter. His three T20I centuries tie him with West Indies captain Shai Hope for the most centuries by a designated wicketkeeper in this format.First Indian to score back-to-back T20 international centuries: He achieved this with a 111-run innings against Bangladesh at home, followed by 107 runs from 50 balls against South Africa in Durban.Most instances of hitting the first century of an IPL season: Samson has scored the first century of an IPL edition four times, in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2026, a record surpassing Brendon McCullum’s two occasions.First to score IPL centuries for three different teams: Alongside KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, Samson is among three players to have recorded centuries for three separate IPL franchises, achieving this milestone first with a century for Chennai Super Kings against Delhi Capitals in 2026.Participant in India’s highest T20 international partnership: Against South Africa in Durban in late 2024, Samson and Tilak Varma put together a 210-run stand for the second wicket, India’s highest in T20Is. Samson scored an unbeaten 109 from 56 balls, which included six fours and nine sixes, while Tilak remained unbeaten on 120 from 47 balls, with nine fours and 10 sixes, guiding India to a winning total of 283 for one.
