In a candid interview, Sanju Samson opened up about his blockbuster move to Chennai Super Kings, his early-career struggles under the mentorship of Sreesanth and Rahul Dravid, and his childhood dream of playing alongside idol M.S. Dhoni
Published Date – 16 July 2026, 03:11 PM
Hyderabad: “Sreesanth bhai is a very generous person. In the Kerala dressing room, when I was young, I used to see him take five or six players every year to the Rajasthan Royals trials. At that time, I was dropped from the Kerala team because I wasn’t scoring runs. Sree bhai came down to play a crucial Ranji Trophy match. He called our secretary, TC Mathew sir, and said, ‘I want Sanju in the team.’ Mathew sir replied, ‘He is not performing, why should we take him?’ But Sree bhai insisted, ‘No, bring him. I’ll make him perform.’ ” Samson recalled on JioStar’s ‘Superstars’ show.
“I was about 16 years-old then. I scored 122 in the first innings and 51 in the second. After the match, Sree bhai took me to the trial in Jaipur. Rahul Dravid sir came to meet me for the first time. Right in front of him, Sree bhai started hyping me up. He said, ‘Rahul bhai, look at this boy. He has hit me for a lot of runs. He hit sixes, did this, did that.’ I was already under pressure, and he made up a lot of stories there for me. But somehow, I managed to hit a few sixes after that,” Samson explained.
On his early days at RR and the lessons he learned while waiting for his chance, the India opener said: “Rahul sir was impressed with my performance in the trials, and he brought me into the Rajasthan Royals setup. He told me, ‘I will make you play. In this team, I can promise you that you will get a chance. In other teams, I am not sure, but here I will give you an opportunity.’ I did well in the trials and also performed for Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In the first practice match before the IPL, Rahul sir gave me a game, but I didn’t do well.”
” Still, he had promised me a chance. But when the playing XI was announced for the first match, my name was not there. However, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I sat out for about five or six games. I used to go and talk to Rahul sir every day for about half an hour. I asked him how to handle pressure. I was picking the brains of all the big players in those first six games. Shane Watson was there, Rahul sir, Ajinkya Rahane, Brad Hodge, all big names. I was just an 18-year-old kid asking them questions. I had a small diary. I would ask them questions, go back to my room, and write down their answers. I noted down how I should try and play if I got a match,” he explained.
On how he got the chance to make his TATA IPL debut, Samson recalled: “After the first six games, I finally gathered the courage to ask Rahul bhai why I wasn’t playing when he had promised me. He calmly explained that I needed to be patient and that my time would come. I was frustrated and disappointed after hearing that, so I took out all my anger in the nets.”
” I would go to the nets and hit sixes, thinking, ‘I’ll show them.’ Luckily for me, our wicketkeeper, Dishant Yagnik bhai, got injured. There was no plan to play me, but Dishant bhai got injured for one match. So, they played me against Punjab, which was my debut in the IPL in 2013, and I won that game for the team. It was my first match. I scored 27 not out batting at number 6. I also got three-four dismissals while keeping the wickets. But in the next match, Dishant bhai was fit again, and I was dropped,” he said.
On his childhood dream of playing with MS Dhoni, Samson said: “When I was in school, Mahi bhai had just gotten into the Indian team. The way he carried himself and his aggressive batting style really attracted me. I started following him closely. He used to appear in the ads, and I would cut out his picture and stick it in my diary. Every kid has an idol, and Mahi bhai was mine.”
” As a child, I used to watch India play every day. Mahi bhai would be captaining and winning matches. I would go to sleep thinking, ‘I have to play one day too.’ I used to dream of batting with him, building a partnership, and fielding alongside him. Now, I have joined CSK. I felt like destiny had brought me here, and I would finally get to play with him. But unfortunately, he wasn’t fit this time. He had a calf injury towards the end. But the dream is still alive. Let’s see what happens next year,” he said.
On his decision to leave RR and join CSK, Samson said: “Moving on from RR was a very big decision for me. I believe that after playing for a team for some time, you start to feel like this is your team and nobody can remove you. But I always had the awareness that there is a limited time for everyone at one place. You do your part, and you move out and after the end of IPL 2025, a point came when I felt that I should move on. I told myself that the boys are ready, and RR is ready to play without Sanju Samson.”
” That is when I thought of leaving. And when you think of moving out, you wonder where to go and which team to join. There were two or three options at that time. But honestly, CSK, Mahi bhai’s influence, the franchise itself, and my friends there, especially Ruturaj, meant I had great connections. Based on what I had heard about CSK from other players, I felt that this franchise was my type. If I go there, it will be very good for me. I had wished for that, but a trade is a tricky thing. I want to go there, but do they want me? And the original team needs to get what they want in return. Everyone has to agree. It was a major turning point. Luckily, I ended up in CSK. It was a great feeling,” he explained.
