Samuel William Billings is a professional cricketer from England. Billings is a right-handed batter who also plays wicket-keeping. He was born in Pembury, Kent, and is a member of the Kent County Cricket Club. He has been a member of the county team since he was eight years old, and he was named vice-captain in October 2017 before being named captain in January 2018, succeeding Sam Northeast.

Billings is considered a talented cricketer who analyses the game meticulously and has an inventive repertoire of scoring strokes. He has mostly played for England in short overs forms, and he will make his Test debut in January 2022. He has played Twenty20 franchise cricket in the Pakistan Super League, Indian Premier League, and Australia’s Big Bash League.

Also Read | IPL biggest domestic tournament in the world: Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sam Billings

He grew into an excellent all-around athlete, playing tennis for Kent and was granted a trial for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club after scoring a hat-trick against the club’s youth side while playing for Corinthian under-14s. He also participated in racquetball, squash, and rugby. His grandpa, Ron Billings, was a racquets champion, and his cousin, Tom Billings, is a world-ranked racquets player. Billings credits racquets for helping him improve his hitting abilities, namely his hand-eye coordination.

Billings is a fixture in Twenty20 franchise competitions all around the world. He has stated that he believes that playing T20 cricket alongside many of the top cricketers in the world is essentially playing international cricket and that players who do so would “improve, without a doubt,” with franchise leagues “accelerating” cricketers’ development.

Also Read | You can see goosebumps..: Shivam Dube opens up on meeting MS Dhoni

Billings was acquired for £30,000 by Delhi Daredevils in the 2016 Indian Premier League auction in February 2016. He scored 54 runs on his debut for Delhi, helping the club to a win over Kolkata Knight Riders, before going on to participate in four more matches until being ousted at the conclusion of the group round. Despite the fact that he only played in five matches throughout the tournament, Billings considered the experience as one that would help him “grow as a player.” He credited the impact of Delhi coach Rahul Dravid in particular and had entered the IPL, which he described as a “phenomenal experience,” with the objective of honing his abilities, particularly against spin bowling.

Also Read | Delhi Capitals camp in ‘good frame of mind’: Skipper Rishabh Pant ahead of IPL 2022

He has cited the experience of working with players from all over the globe as a big part of his game growth, from the usage of various training methods to eating more successfully. Billings was retained by Delhi for the 2017 Indian Premier League with the objective of playing till 1 May in order to return to England and prepare for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.

The Kolkata Knight Riders spent Rs 2 crores to acquire Billings for the 2022 season.