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Tuesday, February 18, 2025  
19 Shaban 1446  

Why BCCI did not select Sanju Samson for Champions Trophy squad

Samson failed to attend Kerala’s training camp ahead of Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2024
India’s Sanju Samson celebrates his century in Third One Day International. South Africa v India. Reuters
India’s Sanju Samson celebrates his century in Third One Day International. South Africa v India. Reuters

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not select Indian cricketer Sanju Samson for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, leaving many wondering about the players’ selection for the mega event.

The 50-over tournament would be held in a hybrid model after India refused to visit Pakistan over their government’s refusal.

The tournament’s opening match is set to be held on February 19 between Pakistan and New Zealand. The highly anticipated Pakistan-India clash would take place on February 23 at Dubai stadium.

Samson and another Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant were the primary candidates as India aimed to include an additional wicketkeeper in the squad as KL Rahul also plays as a wicketkeeper batter for the team, according to reports.

The Rajasthan Royals skipper holds stronger statistics, averaging 56.67 with a strike rate of 100, while Pant averages 33.50 with a strike rate of 106.

But he has played only 16 ODIs, with just seven matches against teams that have qualified for the Champions Trophy.

Meanwhile, Pant, who returned from a significant injury sustained at the end of 2022, has batted just once in ODIs since his comeback, scoring six runs. Notably, Pant averaged 44.63 and maintained a strike rate of 109 across 2021 and 2022, indicating that his performance in the format was on the rise.

In December 2024, Samson failed to attend Kerala’s training camp ahead of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, despite notifying officials in advance via email. In response, Kerala decided to drop him as captain from their squad on December 18.

After Kerala had played two matches, the right handed batter informed authorities on December 23 that he was available for selection. But he did not participate in the tournament at all.

When India announced its Champions Trophy squad on January 18, Samson was not included, prompting disappointment from Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor.

“You can’t come and play for Kerala whenever you feel like,” a former BCCI joint secretary Jayesh George said on Sunday.

“Hemang Amin [BCCI COO] asked me if disciplinary action was taken against Samson that held him back from playing in the Vijay Hazare games. I replied in the negative and he wouldn’t have been up for Champions Trophy consideration had I suggested otherwise.”

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Samson led Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25, where the team fell just short of the knockout stage after securing four victories out of six matches.

The right handed batter is recognised for his achievements with his Indian Premier League franchise. He is the RR’s leading run-scorer, amassing 3,403 runs prior to the 2024 IPL. Samson played for RR from 2013 to 2015 and returned to the team in 2018.

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