Sanju Samson gave a dressing room speech to his Rajasthan Royals (RR) teammates for the final time this season after their last league match of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL).
The season ended in disappointment for RR as they slumped to an 86-run defeat against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday. However, Samson was effusive in his gratitude for his teammates.
RR shared a video of his speech on Twitter. They captioned the post:
“From the dressing room, one last time.”
Samson was emotional as he addressed the team and said he was short of words. He said:
“Thank you for your understanding, thank you for your efforts, thank you for your passion and thank you for your total commitment throughout these one-and-a-half months.”
Samson added:
“I could never complain about anything. Yes, we definitely wanted to win more matches, do much better on the ground, but you know how this game can be. Let’s all learn from it and be much better cricketers, that’s what we can do and that’s what is in our hands.”
Samson went on to add that it was a difficult job to lead an IPL franchise as a 26-year-old. However, he added the players made it much easier for him with the way they treated him and communicated with him. Samson said he was touched by all the love and support shown to him.
He also thanked team director Kumar Sangakkara and the coaching staff. Sangakkara also addressed the team and thanked them for their efforts. He urged them to try and constantly improve regardless of which franchise they play for next season.
Sanju Samson shines in RR’s indifferent season
In his first season as captain, Sanju Samson led from the front with the bat. Samson had his personal best IPL season, with 484 runs and is the highest-scoring batsman this season who did not play as an opener. He scored one century and two fifties in 14 matches and averaged 40.33.
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With several batters not stepping up and the franchise missing two of their biggest stars in Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler for half of the season, Samson toned down on his aggressive mindset to play more responsible knocks.
However, a lack of support meant the Royals finished sixth in the table despite being in contention for a top-four finish with two matches to go.
