"It was a pretty natural decision actually" - Sanju Samson opens up on getting retained by RR

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has said that getting retained by his franchise was a pretty natural outcome. That's because the management is looking at him as a long-term prospect in the leadership role.

The Royals on Tuesday announced their retention list ahead of the upcoming IPL 2022 mega auction. On expected terms, the inaugural IPL champions picked Samson (Rs 14 crore) as the first player on the retention list.

Samson has been a part of the Royals ever since he made his IPL debut a decade ago. The Kerala swashbuckler is now looking forward to leading the side in the coming seasons. He said:

"It was a pretty natural decision actually. So I've been a part of RR since the day I started playing my first IPL game, so definitely it was something expected," said Samson in a video shared by Rajasthan Royals on YouTube.

"It's a really great moment for me. The trust shown by the franchise and the coaches and the supporting staff trusting in me to do this role. I think, definitely, I am a very young captain and very much excited to experience a lot of things and learn and become better as a cricketer as well as a leader of an IPL team," he added.

Watch the video here:

Samson was appointed the captain of the Royals ahead of the 14th IPL season earlier this year. While the team didn't do well, the wicketkeeper-batter fared well with the bat. In 14 games, he racked up 484 runs at an exceptional average of 40.33.

Samson revealed that the franchise had made it clear to him last season when he was given the leadership role that they were looking at him as a long-term leader.

"From the moment I was made the leader, it was very clear from the franchise that they were looking at me leading the team for a longer period. So, the words were exchanged much before this retention and whatever process we went through," he added.

Samson will now hope to build a solid team at the mega auction, and lead the Royals to their second IPL title.

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Sanju Samson opens up on the retentions of Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal

Apart from Samson, Rajasthan retained champion white-ball wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler (Rs 10 crore). Along with Samson, Buttler has been the lynchpin of the Royals' batting unit in the past four IPL seasons.

Sanju Samson is looking forward to learning 'a lot of things' from a seasoned campaigner like Buttler, saying:

"Having Jos with me, I have really enjoyed batting with him. From the last 2-3 years, I have really enjoyed batting with him. From the last 2-3 years, we have had different and interesting partnerships, and he has single-handedly won us lots of different matches.

He added:

"He has a very great personality. He is a great person on and off the field. And he is definitely the main member of our core group. I really look forward to learning a lot of things from Jos. Having Jos again with us in the coming season, it's a really exciting time to look forward to"

The third retention made by the Rajasthan Royals was that of rookie uncapped opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rs 4 crores). On Jaiswal's retention, Samson said that the left-hander reminded him of his initial days when he was retained by RR as a 19-year-old.

"As for Yashasvi Jaiswal, everyone in the RR franchise or everyone in Indian cricket is very excited to experience a person like Yashasvi Jaiswal. The way he bats, he definitely has a great future ahead," said Samson.

"When I look at Jaiswal, I remember my old days. When I was retained at the age of 19, the same thing happened with Jaiswal. Being retained as a youngster and playing for RR, I think it's definitely a great opportunity for any youngster. I see some of my old days when I see him getting retained so young."

The Royals now have a purse of Rs 62 crores. It will be interesting to see how they go about building their team for the next cycle.