Sanju Samson Stats, Age, Career, Wife, Family, Religion, IPL and Net Worth

For years, Sanju Samson was the batter Indian cricket kept calling its most talented player who never got a long enough run. He made his India debut at 20 in 2015 and was then left out for more than four years. He watched two World Cup squads leave without him, and he kept scoring runs for Kerala and Rajasthan Royals while the debate about him carried on.

Then everything changed. Three T20I centuries in a single calendar year, a T20 World Cup win in 2026 with a Player of the Tournament award, and a blockbuster trade to Chennai Super Kings turned the long-time “what if” into one of the most-discussed names in the sport. If you are here searching for Sanju Samson stats, Sanju Samson age, Sanju Samson wife, his family, religion, net worth or social media following, this guide covers all of it, and also how he actually got here.

Sanju Samson Profile at a Glance

Attribute	Detail
Full Name	Sanju Viswanath Samson
Nickname	Chettan
Date of Birth	11 November 1994
Age	31 years (turns 32 on 11 November 2026)
Birthplace	Pulluvila, near Vizhinjam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Hometown	Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Zodiac Sign	Scorpio
Religion	Christianity
Role	Wicketkeeper-batter, right-handed
National Team	India (2015 to present)
Domestic Team	Kerala
IPL Team (2026)	Chennai Super Kings (₹18 crore)
Jersey Number	9 for India, 11 in the IPL
Education	St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School; BA English Literature, Mar Ivanios College
Marital Status	Married to Charulatha Remesh (m. 2018)
Instagram	@imsanjusamson (about 20.9 million followers)

Sanju Samson’s age is 31. He was born on 11 November 1994, so his next birthday falls in a little over a month. His native place is Pulluvila, a coastal village near Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram district, which also answers the common “which state is Sanju Samson from” question: Kerala. His height is listed at 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) on most profiles, though a few older pages quote a taller figure.

Early Life & Background

Samson was born in Pulluvila, but he did not grow up there. His father, Samson Viswanath, was a constable in the Delhi Police, so the family lived in the police colony in GTB Nagar, North Delhi. Young Sanju studied at Rosary Senior Secondary School and trained at an academy in Shalimar Bagh.

In 2006, he failed to make the Delhi Under-13 side. His father took voluntary retirement from the police force and moved the family back to Kerala so that both his sons could pursue cricket there. Few fathers would make that call for a twelve-year-old who had just missed selection for a city team, and the move changed the direction of the family’s life.

In Thiruvananthapuram, Samson first trained at the Masters Cricket Club and then moved to the academy of coach Biju George at Medical College Ground, who became the key figure in his development. The results came quickly:

• 2007: Captained Kerala’s Under-13 side and scored 973 runs in the inter-state tournament, including four centuries in five matches, at an average above 108.
• 2008-09: Hit a double century off just 138 balls against Goa in the Vijay Merchant Trophy for the Under-16 side.
• 2009-10: Selected for the Kerala Ranji squad at 14, the youngest cricketer the state had ever picked for the competition.
• 2011: Made his first-class debut for Kerala on 3 November against Vidarbha.

Off the field, he finished school at St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram and later did a BA in English literature at Mar Ivanios College, where he also met the woman he would marry. In 2016, he worked for a time as a manager at Bharat Petroleum in the city, a reminder that for a long stretch cricket was not a guaranteed living for him.

Sanju Samson Family Background

Relation	Name	Details
Father	Samson Viswanath	Former Delhi Police constable; Santosh Trophy footballer
Mother	Lijy Viswanath	Homemaker (also spelled Ligy)
Elder Brother	Saly Samson	Former Kerala junior cricketer; works in a government office
Niece	Hazel Saly Samson	Saly’s daughter
Wife	Charulatha Remesh	College classmate; married December 2018
Children	None reported	No announcement as of 2026
Coach	Biju George	Thiruvananthapuram academy coach

The Samsons are a close, private family, and every major turn in Sanju’s career traces back to a decision the family made together.

Father: Samson Viswanath

Sanju Samson’s father is the central figure in the early story. A constable with the Delhi Police, he was also a talented footballer who represented Delhi in the Santosh Trophy, India’s national football championship for states. Sport ran in the household long before cricket did. When Sanju was not selected for the Delhi Under-13 team, Samson Viswanath chose to leave the police force and relocate the family to Kerala, a sacrifice Sanju has spoken about often. He is now retired and continues to follow his son’s career closely, and Sanju has named him among his biggest role models.

Mother: Lijy Viswanath

Sanju’s mother, Lijy Viswanath, is a homemaker who held the household together through the family’s move from Delhi to Kerala. Her name appears as Lijy on some profiles and Ligy on others. She keeps a low profile and is rarely seen in the media, though she is a regular presence at the family’s major occasions.

Brother: Saly Samson

Sanju’s elder brother, Saly Samson, is the cricketer in the family people know least about. Saly also represented Kerala at junior level, but injuries stalled his career, and he later took up a government job in the Accountant General’s office. Saly made a comeback to competitive cricket in 2021, and Sanju wrote a long, affectionate tribute to him at the time.

The brothers eventually shared a dressing room. In 2025, both played for the Kochi Blue Tigers in the Kerala Cricket League, with Saly as captain. In one match, Sanju reached his hundred with Saly at the non-striker’s end and walked over to hug his elder brother. Saly is married and has a daughter, Hazel.

Wife’s Family

Sanju’s wife, Charulatha Remesh, comes from a Hindu family in Thiruvananthapuram, while Sanju is Christian. The couple registered their marriage under the Special Marriage Act. Both families were present at the private ceremony in Kovalam, and the two have kept their families out of the public eye ever since.

Is Sanju Samson Married? Does He Have Children?

Yes, he is married to Charulatha Remesh. As of October 2026, the couple have not announced any children, so there is no confirmed information on Sanju Samson’s children.

Sanju Samson Wife: Charulatha Remesh

Sanju Samson’s wife is Charulatha Remesh. Their story began at Mar Ivanios College in Thiruvananthapuram, where they were classmates, and by most accounts they dated for around five years before marrying. They got married on 22 December 2018 in a private ceremony at Kovalam, near Thiruvananthapuram.

Attribute	Detail
Name	Charulatha Remesh
Background	Native of Thiruvananthapuram; studied at Mar Ivanios College
Married Sanju	22 December 2018, Kovalam, Kerala
Marriage Type	Registered under the Special Marriage Act
Children	None reported

Because Samson is Christian and Charulatha comes from a Hindu family, the couple registered their marriage under the Special Marriage Act. Her age and other personal details are not public. Charulatha keeps a low profile but is Sanju’s most visible supporter: she regularly cheers from the stands at matches, and she posts about his big moments on social media. After his unbeaten 97 against West Indies at the 2026 World Cup, she shared a rare, candid selfie with him on her Instagram story. The couple have kept most of their private life off the internet, so the images available are mostly from public events and match days.

How His Career Actually Unfolded

Phase	Years	Notes
Junior Prodigy	2007 to 2011	Kerala U-13 captain; Ranji squad at 14; first-class debut in November 2011
U-19 & IPL Entry	2012 to 2014	India U-19 vice-captain; IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2013; Emerging Player award
In-and-Out India Player	2015 to 2019	T20I debut in July 2015, then a long gap before the next real chance
Domestic Reset	2016 to 2019	Delhi Daredevils, back to Rajasthan, Kerala captaincy; 212* in the Vijay Hazare Trophy
Captaincy & Patchy India Role	2020 to 2023	RR captain from 2021; ODI debut in 2021; maiden ODI hundred in December 2023
Breakthrough	2024	T20 World Cup winner; three T20I hundreds in a calendar year
Peak	2025 to 2026	Asia Cup winner; CSK trade; T20 World Cup 2026 Player of the Tournament
Current Phase	2026 to present	CSK opener and wicketkeeper; regular in India’s T20I side

The pattern is striking. Between 2015 and 2019, Samson drifted in and out of the team. He made his T20I debut in Harare against Zimbabwe on 19 July 2015 as an injury replacement, and then waited until late 2019 for his next real chance. Sanju did not get an ODI cap until July 2021, when he made 46 in a dead rubber against Sri Lanka.

He missed the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cup squads, which kept the “talent versus consistency” argument alive for years. What changed in 2024 was clarity of role. Once the team management settled him as an opener in T20Is, his numbers changed almost overnight.

Domestic and India A Career

Away from the international spotlight, Samson built a strong domestic record. He captained Kerala in the Ranji Trophy at 20, becoming the youngest Kerala player to do so. In 2017-18, he was the state’s leading run-scorer with 627 runs in seven matches, including a 175 against Saurashtra in a must-win game as Kerala reached their first-ever Ranji knockout. He also captained the Board President’s XI against Sri Lanka in 2017, scoring a century in the match, and led India A in a one-day series against New Zealand A in 2022, finishing as the series’ top run-getter.

Sanju Samson Stats: International Career

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	100s/50s	Highest
ODI	16	510	56.66	1/3	108
T20I	68	1,549	27.25	3/7	111
First-Class	66	3,888	39.27	11/17	211
List A	130	3,599	34.27	4/19	212*

Sanju Samson’s stats show a split personality. His ODI average of 56.66 is excellent, but it comes from only 16 matches, a sample that says more about how little cricket he was given than how well he played in it. His last ODI came in December 2023. In T20Is, the average of 27.25 looks modest, but it carries the weight of the long, unsettled years before he became a regular opener. The more telling numbers are the hundreds and the strike rate when he is set.

His 211 against Assam in the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy remains his best first-class score, and the unbeaten 212 against Goa in the 2019-20 Vijay Hazare Trophy is the highest List A score by a wicketkeeper and one of the fastest double centuries in the format.

Sanju Samson Centuries Breakdown

Format	Centuries	Notable Innings
T20I	3	111 off 47 vs Bangladesh (Hyderabad, October 2024); 107 off 50 vs South Africa (Durban, November 2024); 109* off 56 vs South Africa (Johannesburg, November 2024)
ODI	1	108 off 114 vs South Africa (Paarl, December 2023)
IPL	5	119 vs Punjab Kings (2021) is the highest; two more in 2026
First-Class	11	211 vs Assam (2013-14)
List A	4	212* vs Goa (2019-20)

The ODI hundred at Paarl came when the door looked to be closing on his 50-over career. He scored 108 in a series decider and was named Man of the Match. It remains his only ODI century.

The T20I centuries were different. Samson hit 111 against Bangladesh in October 2024, then back-to-back hundreds in South Africa within a month. He became the first Indian to score centuries in consecutive T20Is, and the first batter to make three T20I hundreds in a calendar year. In the fourth match at Johannesburg, he and Tilak Varma added an unbeaten 210 for the second wicket as India posted 283, one of the biggest partnerships in T20I history.

Sanju Samson at the T20 World Cup 2026

The 2026 tournament in India and Sri Lanka is where Samson’s career turned from promising to defining. He was part of the squad that won the 2024 title, but in 2026 he became the central figure.

• Super 8 vs West Indies (1 March): An unbeaten 97 off 50 balls in a must-win game in Kolkata, with 12 fours and four sixes, helped India chase down 196, the highest target India had ever chased at a T20 World Cup. He won Player of the Match.
• Semi-final vs England (5 March): 89 off 42 balls at Wankhede as India posted 253. Another Player of the Match award.
• Final vs New Zealand (8 March): 89 off 46 balls at Ahmedabad in a title-winning effort.

He finished with 321 runs, reportedly the most by an Indian batter in a single edition of the tournament, and was named Player of the Tournament despite playing only five matches after coming into the side midway through the campaign. The ICC also named him Men’s Player of the Month for March 2026.

Sanju Samson IPL Career

Years	Team	Role	Notes
2012	Kolkata Knight Riders	Squad member	Signed but did not play
2013 to 2015	Rajasthan Royals	Player	Debut on 14 April 2013; Emerging Player of the Year
2016 to 2017	Delhi Daredevils	Player	Maiden IPL century in 2017
2018 to 2025	Rajasthan Royals	Player, then captain from 2021	Led RR to the 2022 final
2026 to present	Chennai Super Kings	Opener and wicketkeeper	Traded in a swap deal; ₹18 crore

Season by season, his IPL runs read: 206 (2013), 339 (2014), 204 (2015), 291 (2016), 386 (2017), 441 (2018), 342 (2019), 375 (2020), 484 (2021), 458 (2022), 362 (2023), 531 (2024), 285 (2025, in nine matches) and 477 (2026). That adds up to 5,181 runs in 191 matches.

His IPL story began early. In his second match for Rajasthan in 2013, he scored 63 off 41 balls and became the youngest player to hit an IPL fifty at the time. When Rajasthan were suspended in 2016, Delhi picked him up, and he made his maiden T20 century there in 2017. Back at Rajasthan, he scored an unbeaten 102 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019. In January 2021, he was named captain and marked his first match in charge with a century, becoming the first IPL captain to do so. His 119 against Punjab Kings in that match is still his best IPL score. Under his leadership, Rajasthan reached the 2022 final, where they lost to Gujarat Titans, and the 2024 Qualifier 2.

The Sanju Samson CSK Trade

The biggest move of his career came on 15 November 2025, when Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings completed a swap that sent Samson to Chennai, with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran going the other way. Samson had called Rajasthan like family, so the exit was an emotional one for fans on both sides. CSK paid ₹18 crore, the same as his Rajasthan salary, and Samson kept his jersey number 11.

Sanju Samson Runs in IPL 2026

His first season in yellow started slowly after a draining World Cup. Then he found his rhythm. He made 102 not out off 52 balls against Delhi Capitals for CSK’s first win of the season, followed by an unbeaten 101 off 54 balls against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede, becoming the first CSK batter to score an IPL hundred against MI. That was his fifth IPL century, level with KL Rahul, and his second of 2026, making him only the second CSK player after Shane Watson to hit two in a season.

He ended the season as CSK’s top run-scorer with 477 runs at a strike rate of around 166, the most by a designated CSK wicketkeeper in a single season. CSK as a team struggled, finishing eighth with six wins in 14 matches. He also finally got to share a dressing room with MS Dhoni, something he had said he was excited about.

Kerala Cricket League

In 2025, Samson also turned out for the Kochi Blue Tigers in the Kerala Cricket League, the state’s franchise T20 tournament, playing alongside his brother Saly. It was a rare chance for him to play in front of home crowds in a franchise setting.

Sanju Samson Records

Record	Detail
Three T20I centuries in a calendar year	First batter to do it (2024)
Back-to-back T20I hundreds	First Indian to achieve it
210* second-wicket partnership with Tilak Varma	Among the highest partnerships in T20I history
212* vs Goa (Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20)	Highest List A score by a wicketkeeper
Century in first match as IPL captain	119 vs Punjab Kings, 2021; first captain to do it
Most runs by a designated CSK wicketkeeper in a season	477 in 2026
T20 World Cup 2026 Player of the Tournament	321 runs in five matches
Youngest to score an IPL fifty (at the time)	Aged 18, 2013

By one report, his April 2026 hundred also drew him level with Rohit Sharma for the third-most T20 centuries by an Indian. The records are a useful reminder that Samson’s value has always been in how quickly and cleanly he can take a game away.

Sanju Samson Religion & Caste

Sanju Samson’s religion is Christianity. He was born into a Malayali Christian family in Kerala, and his parents are Christian. His wife comes from a Hindu family. Beyond this, the family has never spoken publicly about denomination or caste, and claims on various websites are rarely sourced, so this article sticks to what is well documented.

Sanju Samson Social Media Presence

Samson is one of the most-followed cricketers from Kerala online, and his following has exploded since the 2026 World Cup.

Platform	Handle	Notes
Instagram	@imsanjusamson	Verified; about 20.9 million followers (August 2026)
YouTube	Sanju V Samson	Official channel
Facebook	Sanju Viswanath Samson	Official page
X (Twitter)	Sanju Samson	Official account

The World Cup surge. Before the 2026 final, Samson’s Instagram following stood at about 14.8 million. By the middle of the year, it had passed 20 million. During the tournament, he overtook actors Dulquer Salmaan and Anupama Parameswaran to become the second most-followed Malayali on Instagram. That jump of roughly six million followers in a few months is one of the clearest signs of how much the World Cup changed his public profile.

Engagement. His posts regularly draw an average of around 2.5 million likes, with reels averaging several million views, which puts his engagement well above what most sportspeople with similar follower counts manage.

What he posts. His feed is a mix of match-day moments, training and fitness, travel, family and brand collaborations. He is more of a personality than a promoter: posts about milestones and gratitude tend to be short and emotional, often with a Kerala flavour, while his brand work is spread across sports, finance, health and lifestyle categories.

Reach and brand value. Industry trackers estimate that his Instagram account alone can command six-figure dollar amounts per month in sponsored content, which fits with the long list of brands that have signed him over the years.

Sanju Samson Net Worth

There is no confirmed figure for Sanju Samson’s net worth, because he has never published one. Estimates in 2026 mostly fall between ₹80 crore and ₹100 crore, though some older or lower-quality sites quote far smaller dollar figures, so treat any single number with caution.

The main income sources are:

• IPL salary: ₹18 crore a year with Chennai Super Kings, the same as his last Rajasthan deal.
• BCCI central contract: reported at around ₹1 crore annually.
• Endorsements: brands reported over the years include Walkmate, Unimoni, Salpido, Gillette, PUMA Group, MRF and Adi Group of Institutions, where he became brand ambassador in 2024.
• Brand roles: brand ambassador for Kerala Blasters FC (2023) and the English Premier League in India (October 2025), plus State Election Icon for Kerala in 2021.
• Business: he started the Six Guns Sports Academy in Thiruvananthapuram in 2018, aimed at young cricketers and footballers.

Sanju Samson House and Cars

Media reports describe his Thiruvananthapuram house as a traditionally designed home, with estimates ranging from about ₹6 crore to ₹12 crore, and some profiles mention a private gym and a garden. Reports also credit him with property investments in other cities. As for his car collection, reports mention a Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. None of these figures are confirmed by Samson himself.

Awards and Recognition

Award	Year	Detail
IPL Emerging Player of the Year	2013	206 runs in his first season
ACC U-19 Asia Cup winner	2012, 2013-14	Century in the 2013-14 final against Pakistan
ICC T20 World Cup winner	2024	Squad member
ACC Asia Cup winner	2025	Part of India’s title-winning squad
ICC T20 World Cup winner	2026	Player of the Tournament
ICC Men’s Player of the Month	March 2026	After his World Cup performances

Playing Style: What Makes Him Different

Samson is an instinctive stroke-maker. He stays still at the crease, trusts his balance and hits through the line with seemingly little effort. He likes to play straight and over the bowler’s head, and his best scoring areas lie between cover and fine leg. Commentators have compared his timing to Rohit Sharma’s and AB de Villiers’, and Virat Kohli once described him as fearless at the top of the order.

The weaknesses are just as well documented. He has sometimes struggled to rotate the strike when he is not in full flow, and in his early years he gave away his wicket too often with soft dismissals. Behind the stumps and in the field, he is athletic and flexible enough to field anywhere. What he found in 2024 was a role where his strengths mattered more than his limitations: opening the batting with the licence to attack from ball one.

Lesser-Known Facts About Sanju Samson

• Role models: Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar are among the batters he has named as favourites, along with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. His father is also listed as a role model.
• Favourite bowlers: Zaheer Khan and R Ashwin.
• Food: He has named tapioca and fish curry as favourites, a classic Kerala combination.
• Reading: His favourite book is Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.
• Football roots: His father’s footballing background meant he grew up around both sports, and he started the Six Guns academy to train young players in cricket and football.
• Student days: He studied English literature, not a sports degree, and worked at a petroleum company before his cricket career took off.
• Youngest at many levels: He was the youngest Kerala cricketer to play in the Ranji Trophy and later the youngest to captain the state in it.
• Mentor in Rajasthan: He has credited Rahul Dravid and Rajasthan Royals owner Manoj Badale for giving a boy from a small Kerala village his first IPL chance.

Sanju Samson’s Legacy in Indian Cricket

Look at the whole arc and it splits into two chapters. In the first, Samson was a prodigy who often looked undervalued, with spells in and out of the side that frustrated his supporters in Kerala and beyond. In the second, he became a World Cup-winning opener whose biggest innings arrived when his team needed them most.

For Kerala cricket, he is a landmark figure: the player who showed that a boy from a coastal village in Thiruvananthapuram could reach the very top and stay there. He is 31, still a regular in India’s T20I side, and has a new IPL home in Chennai. The next big question is whether he can turn his T20 form into a long ODI run, but for now, the story that began with a rejected Under-13 trial in Delhi has become one of the best comebacks in recent Indian cricket.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Source: CricInfo