Sanju Samson has a lot in common with MS Dhoni. Both are wicketkeepers for one and both come from non-traditional place when it comes to the sport of cricketer – Dhoni hails from Jharkhand while Samson is from Kerala.
It is no wonder that Samson idolizes Dhoni, who is possibly playing in his final season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhoni has been picked as an ‘uncapped’ player by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), having last played international cricket back in 2019. The former CSK captain was retained for just Rs 4 crore and is already 43 years of age.
Speaking exclusively in the SuperStar series on JioHotstar, Sanju Samson opened up on his relationship with Dhoni. “Like every young Indian cricketer, I always wanted to be around MS Dhoni. Every time we played against CSK, I wanted to sit and talk to him, ask him how he does things. It was a dream for me. I remember playing a match against CSK in Sharjah, where I finally performed well, scored around 70-80 runs, won the game, and became the Man of the Match,” Samson told JioHotstar.
“After that, I met Mahi bhai, and since then, our relationship has grown. Even now, I meet him often. Just yesterday, I met him again. It’s truly a blessed feeling—to go from idolizing him to now sitting with him for shoots and events. I feel like I’m living my dream,” he added.
While Dhoni is 43 years of age, at the other end of spectrum is Vaibhav Suryavanshi – Samson’s teammate at Rajasthan Royals, who is just 13 years of age. “The boys of today don’t lack confidence at all. They are very brave and understand the current situation of Indian cricket and the brand of cricket that needs to be played. For me, rather than giving advice, I prefer observing first—how a youngster wants to play his cricket, what he likes, and what kind of support he needs from me.
“Then, I work my way around that. Vaibhav looks very confident; he was hitting sixes out of the ground at the academy. People were already talking about his power-hitting. What else can you ask for? It’s all about understanding his strengths, backing him, and being there for him like an elder brother,” Samson said about Suryavanshi.
Samson further shared his thoughts on Suryavanshi’s readiness and potential, saying, “I think he looks ready to contribute. The key is to keep him in the best shape and provide a relaxed environment, which is something Rajasthan Royals (RR) is known for. We ensure a positive atmosphere in the dressing room and back our players. You never know—he might end up playing for India in a couple of years. I feel he is ready for the IPL. He looks capable of landing a few solid punches here and there. Let’s see what the future holds.”
On other key Rajasthan Royals players like Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer in the squad, Samson said, “Of course, it plays a huge role. Having players who are already part of the team creates a great connection. It makes my job easier because we know each other well, both on and off the field, and that helps in better team coordination.”
Samson was retained for Rs 18 crore by the Royals ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction last year. The Royals skipper has notched up 4419 runs from 168 IPL games at a strike-rate of 138.96 with 3 hundreds and 25 fifties.
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