The mysterious omissions of the talented Samson led to banners in the Kerala cricketer's support at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar no less.
His knock -- 67 off 45 balls with 3 fours and 5 sixes -- was a cocktail of composure and controlled aggression. It was also his 10th IPL half-century, a milestone that arrived just when the spotlight had begun to shift off him.
Sanju Samson was to play the T20 World Cup final.
Then, Skipper Rohit Sharma changed his mind.
In typical Rohit style, he then spent 10 minutes explaining to Sanju why he was being excluded from the playing eleven.
Whether it is playing for India, Kerala or the Rajasthan Royals, Sanju Samson always enjoys huge support from fans all over the India.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 39.
Jwala Singh, the formative coach of Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, believes the upcoming IPL season will be crucial for his ward's bid to reclaim a spot in the Indian T20 World Cup squad next year. Singh emphasized the IPL's role as a platform for players to make a mark, stating that "IPL performances are taken into account, and you get noticed." He is confident Jaiswal will end the IPL season as the highest run-scorer, urging him to "take to the field with the mindset of being the best."
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 29.
Avesh Khan held his nerve in the death overs, bowling yorker after yorker to perfection, to help Lucknow Super Giants pull off a thrilling two-run win over Rajasthan Royals.
Sanju Samson urged his players to pull their socks up after crushing defeat
'Found a ponnada in the appropriate India colours to honour him with!'
India opener Abhishek Sharma suffered an ankle injury during a catching drill at the nets in Chennai on Friday.
Following their comfortable win over Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson lauded the home team's attacking mentality.
At the launch of his app powered by Single.id, MSD said he wants to enjoy his last few years of cricket, like he did when he was a child.
Shami last played for India in the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad after which he was sidelined because of an ankle injury which needed surgery.
The Rajasthan Royals entered the IPL 2025 auction with a strategic approach, carefully balancing retention and acquisition.
SRH had barely utilised him the previous season. He played just two matches in the 2024 season for SRH, claiming just one wicket before he was released.
Virat Kohli, the maestro of the chase, orchestrated a dominant nine-wicket victory for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday.
Sanju Samson laments 'one-hit' defeat
India's 297/6 is the highest total by a ICC full member team in T20 Internationals and the second highest overall after Nepal's 314/3 against Mongolia in the Asian Games last year.
Chasing 152 could have been tricky but KKR Opener Quinton de Kock got stuck in and guided the team to victory.
Samson is the first player in the IPL to score a century in his first match as captain.
Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer slammed blistering half-centuries as Rajasthan Royals outclassed Gujarat Titans by three wickets.
'He is so talented. He does well in one or two matches and then he does not do anything.'
Suryakumar Yadav to announce the winner, and Yadav playfully approached Samson with a handshake before unexpectedly declaring Tilak Varma the winner.
Images from the IPL 2025 match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Tilak Varma smashed an unbeaten half-century to steer India to a thrilling two-wicket victory against England in Chennai on Saturday.
Samson will make way for regular keeper-batter Rishabh Pant when the Asia Cup begins in the UAE.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's first Most Valuable Player Index for IPL 2025.
India lead the three-match series 1-0 following their narrow two-run win in the opener in Mumbai on Tuesday.
'We wanted the sixth bowler to come in, so Sanju Samson missed out'
'Hardik is also a part of leading group. When we sit, we decide what we want to do in the game going forward and also on the field. He is always around. It's like we have a lot of captains on the ground.'
After a disappointing showing in the Test series in Australia recently, the Indian team is eager to make a fresh start in the T20 format.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the Asia Cup match against Pakistan?
'A good headache (playing XI selection), we want to stick to our strengths.'
New rules, new captains, but same excitement as two months of cricket extravaganza kicks off in Kolkata.
Captaon Suryakumar Yadav, all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, the only member from the Test side, will be hoping for a strong outing so that India can apply some balm over the wounds from their recent home series defeat against New Zealand.
Kerala's Sanju Samson, 27, was part of the ODI series against Zimbabwe which India won 3-0. He has represented India in seven ODIs and 16 T20Is so far.
Rishabh Pant will be entering a new phase of his Indian Premier League (IPL)career when he takes over as the captain of Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2025.
Adil Rashid produced a stunning delivery to dismiss the in-form Tilak Varma during the third T20 International in Rajkot on Tuesday.
'This time, even after we led 2-1 in the series, we decided how to play the last match (aggressively), everybody stepped up. Credit goes to everybody. We won this series as a team.'
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