Sanju Samson had become face of Rajasthan Royals, losing him is massive: Faf du Plessis

Faf du Plessis highlights Sanju Samson's departure as a massive loss for Rajasthan Royals and IPL fans.

Sanju Samson was arguably the face of Rajasthan Royals — much like M.S. Dhoni with Chennai Super Kings or Virat Kohli with Royal Challengers Bengaluru — and his departure is a significant moment for the franchise, given the impact he had, says former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis.

Samson spent 11 seasons with Rajasthan Royals across two stints, emerging as their most-capped player and leading run-scorer. He has now been traded to Chennai Super Kings with Ravindra Jadeja joining the RR ranks.

"If I look at the IPL and the iconic teams we see around the league, all of them have one marquee Indian player in common -- someone who has been the face of the franchise for a period of time, (such as) Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli. Sanju Samson, for me, was that guy at Rajasthan Royals," du Plessis told JioHotstar.

"Yes, he's of a newer generation, but he had become the face of that franchise. If I think of Rajasthan Royals, I think Sanju Samson. So, the fact that they've lost that face is a massive thing for the fans, for the IPL, and for the tournament, because he's played such a big role there," added du Plessis.

He said Samson's departure would place added responsibility on Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had the freedom to play his natural game alongside the former RR skipper.

"The thing with Yashasvi Jaiswal is that he's had Sanju Samson, who has been such a huge, consistent performer within that batting line-up. When you have that consistency of runs from Sanju, it allows you to play your game," du Plessis said.