In what will come as a blow to Sanju Samson and Rajasthan Royals (RR) fans, the swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter will not be leading the team in the first three matches of the upcoming IPL 2025, nor will he keep wickets.
Samson had undergone a finger surgery last month after being struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer during India-England T20I series. He had joined the RR camp and attended the first practice session on March 18 in Jaipur, after finishing his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
However, Samson is yet to be cleared to keep wickets. BCCI’s medical and sports science teams have given the go-ahead for him to bat, but want him to give his fingers some more rest.
Sanju Samson to play as ‘Impact Player’
There’s a silver lining though. The 30-year-old will come out to bat as an Impact Player. As per the rule, teams can name five substitute players in addition to their playing XI before a match. In the match, captains can nominate any one of these substitutes to replace one of the players in the starting XI during any of the natural breaks of the match – that is, start of an innings, end of an over, fall of a wicket or when a batter retires.
💪 Update: Sanju will be playing our first three games as a batter, with Riyan stepping up to lead the boys in these matches! 💗 pic.twitter.com/FyHTmBp1F5
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 20, 2025
Samson has been one of the batting mainstays for Rajasthan Royals over the years, amassing 3,742 runs in 140 matches for the franchise since 2013 (he played for the Delhi Capitals in 2016 and 2017).
Why Riyan Parag was chosen to lead Rajasthan Royals
There were speculations that if Samson is unavailable due to injury concerns, the RR will take a gamble and hand over the captaincy to young India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.
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However, the franchise has chosen another promising youngster Riyan Parag to lead the side in the first three matches – against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23, against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 and Chennai Super Kings on March 30.
The 23-year-old Parag will become one of the youngest captains in IPL after Virat Kohli. In the release, the RR management said, "Rajasthan Royals' decision to hand Riyan the captaincy underscores the franchise's confidence in his leadership, a skill he has demonstrated through his tenure as Assam's domestic captain.”
They added that Parag has been a key member of the franchise over the years, and that he understands the team’s dynamics well.
Who will replace Sanju Samson in the RR playing XI?
With Samson unable to keep wickets, Dhruv Jurel is likely to take his place in the RR’s playing XI for the first three matches. The 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter joined the Rajasthan Royals in 2022 for ₹20 lakh but did not get to play.
The next season, he caught everyone’s attention with his heavy hitting in the death overs – Jurel scored 152 runs at an average of 21.71 and a strike-rate of 172.72.
In 2024, he scored 195 runs in 11 innings at an average of 24.37 and a strike rate of 138.29. If he gets a chance this season, Jurel will try to make a lasting impression and also improve his strike-rate.
