India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has picked Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson as his favorite captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Chahal was roped in by Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the IPL 2022 mega auction after an eight-year stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In his first season with the new franchise, he won the IPL Purple Cap after taking 27 wickets under Samson’s leadership.
Chahal stated that all three captains he has played under have given him the freedom that a bowler requires, whether it is MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, or Rohit Sharma. After playing under Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit, and Samson throughout his career, the 32-year-old spinner named the RR captain as his favourite captain in the cash-rich league.
He described the Kerala-born cricketer as his top choice since his captaincy arguably resembles India’s legendary captain MS Dhoni. He also credited Samson for his improvement in bowling during the IPL 2022 season.
“I think, all three captains whom I have played under, I have gotten that liberty that a bowler requires, whether it’s Mahi bhai, Virat Kohli, or Rohit Sharma. So yeah, that’s the one thing I have gotten,” Chahal told Humans of Bombay, RR’s official storytelling partner.
“In IPL, Sanju Samson is definitely my favourite. I feel like he is literally very similar to Mahi bhai as like him, he is very calm and chill. The 10 per cent or whatever growth I have had as a bowler in the last year, it is all because of Sanju. He told me, ‘you have four overs, bowl whatever you want to, you are free from my side’,” he added.
Chahal has picked 12 wickets in the ongoing IPL season and conceded 226 runs in seven games. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals are currently standing on the top of the IPL 2023 points table with eight points. They have won four of the six matches that they have played so far.