Sanju Samson will not captain Rajasthan Royals during their first three games of IPL 2025. Instead, he will only play as a specialist batter.
Samson suffered a finger injury after being hit by a Jofra Archer bouncer during India’s T20I series at home against England in February. He subsequently underwent surgery and went to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for rehabilitation before linking up with Rajasthan Royals on March 18. However, he is still a doubtful starter for the initial few games of the IPL.
RR confirmed that their captain will miss the first three matches – against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23, Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 and Chennai Super Kings on March 30.
IPL 2025: Riyan Parag named Sanju Samson's replacement as RR captain
In his absence, Riyan Parag will step in. However, Samson will play as a pure batter till he gets cleared for wicket-keeping and fielding. He will return as captain once fully fit.
"I am not completely fit for the next three games. There are lot of leaders in this group. In the last few years, some great people have taken care of this environment really nicely. For the next three games, Riyan will lead the team," Samson said.
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Due to Samson’s questionable fitness, Dhruv Jurel is expected to take up wicketkeeping duties.
Riyan Parag's IPL record
After years of backing the talented all-rounder hailing from Assam, Parag finally repaid the faith of his franchise by scoring 573 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of nearly 150 in 2024.
This was also the first time when he scored 200 runs in an IPL season. He was rewarded with T20I and ODI debuts consequently. Parag is also heading into the tournament after recovering from a shoulder injury which forced him out of the South Africa and England T20I series.
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