Rajasthan Royals have named Sanju Samson as their skipper for the 2021 season after parting ways with long term player Steve Smith. This decision doesn’t come as a surprise to many after Steve Smith failed to live up to expectations despite having juggled with the batting order throughout the 2020 IPL season.

This decision comes just days after Sanju Samson started captaining the Kerela side in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Samson, now becomes the third Indian after Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane who will be seen captaining the Royals franchise.

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Kumar Sangakkara To Join As Rajasthan Royals’ Team Director

In addition to naming a new skipper, Rajasthan also announced Kumar Sangakkara as their Team director. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Co-owner of Rajasthan Royals said,

“Sanju is at the start of his journey as a leader and Kumar Sangakkara is joining as a director of cricket. He’s understated and is a very, very strong individual. [Being a] Wicketkeeper is a great position to captain the team.”

He further thanked Steve Smith for the contributions made to the franchise, stating Smith has been a great player and leader for the Rajasthan Royals franchise. He stressed upon Sanju Samson being elected as the captain, since an Indian leader in the IPL is the need of the hour which is why the importance of a local skipper has drastically increased.

“Steve [Smith] has been a great player and great leader for the Royals, and we want to thank him for his contribution to the franchise. But as the IPL has grown, the captaincy has become a year-round task, and as such strong local Indian leadership has become increasingly important. Sanju made his debut as a Royal, and it has been a joy to watch his development over the last eight years. He is the ideal person to lead the Royals into the 2021 season.”

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