Pacer Sandeep Sharma has credited Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson for backing him during a difficult phase and helping him evolve into a death-over specialist.
After going unsold at the 2023 IPL auction, Sandeep earned a second lease of life as an injury replacement for Prasidh Krishna in the Royals squad and went on to revive his career under Samson’s leadership.
“Sanju Samson backed me a lot in death bowling. He always said that he believed I could be a good death bowler. He saw that potential in me and pushed me towards it,” Sandeep Sharma told CricTracker.
Once regarded primarily as a new-ball specialist, Sandeep reinvented himself at the Royals on Samson’s insistence, becoming a reliable option at the death.
“Over the last three years, I have completely evolved, and what I used to do has changed entirely,” the 32-year-old added.
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Since joining Rajasthan, the seamer has picked up 32 wickets across three seasons.
In IPL 2024, he picked up 13 wickets in 10 innings at an average of 23.92 and an economy of 8.18.
Sandeep Sharma was also one of Rajasthan Royals’ retained players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, alongside captain Sanju Samson, and repaid the faith shown in him by picking up nine wickets in 10 matches before an injury cut his season short.
Sanju Samson, who has captained the franchise since 2021, has led Rajasthan to two playoff appearances in four seasons, including the 2022 final, and is the Royals’ longest-serving and most successful skipper.
