Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson has been cleared by the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to return to wicketkeeping after having played the side's first three games in IPL 2025 as a specialist batter. Samson, who had undergone finger surgery last month, has now recovered to take back the captaincy from Riyan Parag and also slot in as keeper. In his absence - Samson had played as an Impact Player in RR's first three games this season - Parag had stood in as captain while Dhruv Jurel kept wicket.
"With this positive development, Samson will return to his full leadership role and resume captaincy from the team's next match against the Punjab Kings," RR said in a statement. "The franchise is encouraged by Samson's progress and looks forward to having him back in action behind the stumps and leading the side."
Under Parag, RR had lost their first two games, against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), but they bounced back to beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Guwahati on March 30. With Samson back as captain and keeper for their next match, against Punjab Kings (PBKS), in Mullanpur on April 5, RR can be more flexible with their Impact Player strategy.
For example, against CSK, after Samson had been dismissed for 20, RR brought in Kumar Kartikeya as an Impact Player in the first innings and he ended up bowling just a solitary over in RR's successful defence of 182.
More to follow...