"Sanju was always our guy; He is so passionate about it which is so important" - RR CEO Jake Lush McCrum on Samson

Rajasthan Royals (RR) CEO Jake Lush McCrum commented on Sanju Samson's influence in the franchise as well as his captaincy ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 campaign.

The Kerala-born keeper-batter has spent six years with the Royals across two different stints and was appointed captain after Steve Smith's departure.

Samson had a lackluster maiden season as captain in the 2021 edition after RR finished seventh in the points table. However, a strong mega-auction in early 2022 and Samson's eventual growth as captain helped the side reach the final of the IPL for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2008. But they lost to the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the summit clash.

Noting that most of the work Samson does for the team often goes under the radar, Lush McCrum said in an exclusive interaction with News18 Cricketnext:

"What I love about Sanju is his openness to learn and the amount he has developed over the last couple of years has been amazing. He will keep getting better and better.

"He has taken us to a final in his second year as captain which is monumental and the way he manages players, the way he works and motivates them behind the scenes. He may not be the loudest individual on the field but all the work he does off it, which isn’t seen by many, is one of the big reasons why we have been so successful."

Branding the wicketkeeper-batter as a passionate individual, he continued:

"Sanju was always our guy. I would say he is a big name. Sanju, yes he might have been younger than some individuals but as I said, huge amount of IPL experience, huge amount of experience with Rajasthan Royals. He lived, breathed the brand and everything about the franchise. He is so passionate about it which is so important."

Samson has been among the top performers in the IPL over the last couple of editions.

While it has led to recurring call-ups for the national side, he has struggled to maintain his position in the playing XI, with his inconsistency being a huge reason behind it, as well as the surplus of talent within the Indian team at present.

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Sanju Samson is currently nursing a knee injury he sustained in the T20I series against Sri Lanka

The Kerala-born player's year did not go off to the brightest of starts. He was dismissed for just five runs in the first T20I against Sri Lanka and was widely criticized for his shot selection.

He also injured his knee while fielding in the dew-ridden Wankhede outfield in the second innings.

Samson was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the series with Jitesh Sharma replacing him in the Indian squad.

It is to be noted that he was not selected for the ODI series against Sri Lanka and could potentially feature in the white-ball series against New Zealand should he recover from the injury in time.

Will Sanju Samson lead RR to their second title in IPL 2023? Let us know what you think.

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