Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson nicely warmed up for the Asia Cup 2025 event by scoring a phenomenal 42-ball century in the ongoing Kerala Cricket League (KCL 2025) season. The right-hand batter, playing for Kochi Blue Tigers, powered his team to a last-ball win against Aries Kollam Sailors on Sunday, August 24. Chasing a massive target of 237, the Kerala batter, who was scratchy to start initially, started to thrive as his innings progressed.
The veteran batter displayed brute force in power play, as Kochi scored 100 runs in the first six overs - a record in KCL's history. Samson also reached his half-century off just 16 balls. From there on, it was no looking back, as he kept up with the asking rate, and did not allow the momentum to drift away. This blazing innings by the 30-year-old is a timely reminder to the management, who are about to drop him as the opener in T20Is to accommodate T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill.
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A crowd of 11,000 came to watch local hero Sanju Samson in Thiruvananthapuram, and the batter made sure they got their money's worth as he reached his century off just 42 balls. He eventually ended by scoring 121 off 51 balls, which included 14 fours and seven sixes.
Sanju Samson thanks the crowd for showing him love & support
Deservedly, Samson was named player of the match. During the interview, the 30-year-old spoke about how the crowd's continuous support keeps him going.
“It’s not easy to lose a game in front of your home crowd. So I thank all the people who turned up in huge numbers.”
The RR skipper also lavished huge praise on the KCL tournament and how it's paving the way for for young players to showcase their huge talent on a big stage.
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“To be very honest, I’m not much aware of the boys. But as much as I’m spending time with them, I’m getting very excited. Very exciting talent in the team. It’s a bit shocking to see we have so much talent in Kerala cricket. I request that we have to put in some special eyes in the local games going on, especially for all the players. In the next one or two years, we should see one more guy playing for the country. And I can see that happening. With this talent, I don’t think that we are very far away,” said Samson.
There are several report that states that Samson might not be an automatic starter in the playing XI, despite not much of his fault. Ever since the 2024 T20 World Cup, he has been the second-highest run scorer in the format, notching three centuries - the most by a batter among Test-playing nations in the period. While he will know his fate once the Continental Cup begins, for now, he can savor the special hundred and love from his home fans.
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