Indian cricketer Sanju Samson is among the contestants for Manorama Sports Star 2020-21, Kerala’s largest sports award. Sanju’s outstanding performances in IPL and domestic cricket in previous years have made him one of the top six sportsmen in Kerala. The award is presented by Malayala Manorama in association with Santa Monica Study Abroad.
Sanju Samson has become the captain of the IPL team that every cricketer in the world dreams of, just as there are Malayalees in every corner of the globe. So far, Kerala has contributed only a handful of players to Indian cricket. Sanju has proven time and time again that he is the best of them all. Gone are the years when Sanju Minnum excelled in IPL cricket where world class players are clashing. When the Rajasthan Royals announced Sanju as the skipper for Steve Smith’s successor in the 2021 season, there were fears that excessive pressure from the captaincy would affect Sanju’s batting. In his debut match as captain, Punjab scored 119 off 63 balls against the Kings
Concerns were suppressed. He was Rajasthan’s top scorer with 484 runs from 14 matches of the season and became the sixth run scorer of the season. Sanju’s 119 against Punjab was his highest individual score last IPL season. Sanju was Rajasthan’s top scorer in the 2020 season with 375 runs. The captaincy was in recognition of his consistent performance in the Rajasthan jersey.