Sanju Viswanath Samson

There will be a mini-auction for the upcoming edition but before that all franchises will release their respective retention list.

Agarkar told reporters in Ahmedabad on Saturday that the choice of batting positions was what swung the argument in Jurel's favor when it came to the exclusion of Samson.

Arshdeep Singh made fun of Pakistan spinner's characteristic celebration on Instagram. Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana joined him, and Sanju Samson enjoyed the show.

Sanju Samson was dropped in the first over bowled by Abrar with Hussain Talat spilling a routine catch at deep mid-wicket.

Asia Cup: Sanju Samson was finally in his element, playing some breathtaking sixes in his 22-ball-innings.

In India’s opening two matches of the tournament against the UAE and Pakistan, he did not get a chance to bat.

Sanju Samson capitalised on some much-needed time in the middle as skipper Suryakumar Yadav rotated the batting order to give every player a chance, guiding India to a competitive 188/8.

Sanju Samson was preferred over Jitesh Sharma in the playing XI but he had to vacate his opening slot to accommodate Shubman Gill.

As per the Indian cricket icon, Samson has been accommodated at number five in the Asia Cup to allow Iyer to make a return in the T20I setup.

"Shubman Gill has it in him to play conventional cricket and still make a 100 off 55 balls.”

Asia Cup 2025: India’s probable XI vs UAE – Among the bowlers mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah are almost certainties.

Sanju Samson's selection in the playing XI, particularly as an opener, is highly contested ahead of Team India's opening match against the UAE at the Asia Cup 2025.

In the last 12 months, when Shubman Gill was engaged in other formats, Sanju Samson tried to make the opening slot his own. He delivered consistently and notched three hundreds in ten T20Is.

To play the victim card isn’t the solution and the less these fans do it the better.

Sanju Samson had been opening in India’s recent T20I series against England, South Africa and Bangladesh, while Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal were tied up with Test duties.

Judging by the opening nets session, the signs suggest that Jitesh Sharma may already have edged ahead in the race for the wicketkeeper’s slot in the playing XI.

India will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10, while the much-debated game against arch-rival Pakistan is scheduled for September 14.

The team management now has a tricky call on hand while deciding whether to keep Samson in the playing XI finding a slot for him in top three or play Jitesh Sharma, who is more familiar with finisher's role.

Sanju Samson has performed admirably in the Kerala Cricket League as well, where he began by batting lower down the order.

Sanju Samson's exploits at KCL 2025 will certainly help him make a strong case to head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav, who will have a big say in deciding India's best playing XI at the Asia Cup.