Sanju Samson has eclipsed the legendary Shane Warne to become the most successful captain in Rajasthan Royals’ history in terms of number of wins.
The 30-year-old Samson achieved the milestone after leading the Royals to a convincing 50-run win over Punjab Kings in their IPL 2025 match on Saturday, earning his 32nd victory in his 62nd outing as the skipper of the Jaipur team.
Shane Warne, who famously led Rajasthan Royals to their maiden IPL title in the inaugural 2008 season, had 31 wins from 56 matches at the helm.
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Samson achieved the feat in his fourth season as full-time captain, having taken over leadership duties in 2021. He missed out on skipper duties in the first three matches of the ongoing season as he was yet to fully recover from injury. Riyan Parag was made captain in his stead,
“He (Samson) has been a leader for a lot of years now,” Riyan said after the match against PBKS. “Even when he was not the captain, he was the leader figure. Having him back is a great plus. If he needs anything from us, he is always there and that is a great combination for us.”
Rahul Dravid, the current Rajasthan Royals head coach, sits third on the list with 23 wins followed by Steve Smith and Ajinkya Rahane.
Dravid also has the best win percentage as a Rajasthan Royals captain with a success rate of 57.50 percent.
Here's a look at the top five Rajasthan Royals captains by number of wins:
Most successful Rajasthan Royals captains
Captain | Matches | Wins | Win % |
Sanju Samson | 62 | 32 | 51.61% |
Shane Warne | 55 | 31 | 55.35% |
Rahul Dravid | 40 | 23 | 57.50% |
Steve Smith | 27 | 15 | 55.55% |
Ajinkya Rahane | 24 | 9 | 37.50% |
Since assuming the captaincy, Samson has played a central role in reshaping the Royals. In 2022, he led the team to their first IPL final since the historic title-winning campaign under Warne.
