Was a very different wicket than what we thought: Sanju Samson

The last two years have seen a complete transformation in Sanju Samson's approach. From being a highly inconsistent player, who thrives on certain match-winning innings, Samson has added consistency to his repertoire to ensure that Rajasthan Royals are strongly beneficial by the same. That particular trait was visible in his batting against Sunrisers Hyderabad tonight as he led from the front with a scintillating 27-ball 55 to power his team to an imposing 210 for six.

"No, long-term goals, just want to win as much as possible and contribute to the team's victory. Working on my fitness, game awareness, understanding of conditions, and choosing my scoring options. Not rushing. I would like to spend a lot of time in the middle knowing I can catch up anytime," Samson said in the post-match interview.

The Royals had an interesting IPL auction and managed to put together three dynamic batters in their top five - Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, and Shimron Hetmyer. The inclusion of the youngsters in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal provided them with three left-handers in their top five. Samson stated that the group under Kumar Sangakkara did well to tap to the best of the resources while adding that he also had some say in the process.

"Yes I had some say. Having a leader like Sanga, he gave me final option. Luckily everyone, lot of cricketing brains have worked together to get a good squad. I think every season we come with great dreams, it's a franchise that takes good care of us. Our owners trust us, give us space. One game at a time," the Royals skipper concluded.