Following his recovery from finger surgery, Indian wicketkeeper-batter and captain of the Rajasthan Royals, Sanju Samson, has joined the team ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League. Samson has been recovering at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru after suffering the injury during the February T20I series against England. Although the team is pleased to have him back, it is yet unclear if he will take up wicketkeeping responsibilities.
During the fifth Twenty20 International against England, a Jofra Archer delivery struck the Kerala batter, injuring his finger. Samson was undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru after surgery. It is anticipated that the National Cricket Academy (NCA) will carry out additional testing prior to approving his wearing of the gloves.
It is unknown if he will be available to play for the Royals as a wicketkeeper in the opening IPL 2025 games; Dhruv Jurel may be considered by the team as a backup behind the stumps. With 531 runs in 15 innings at an average of 48.27 and a strike rate of 153.46, the Kerala batsman was among the team’s best IPL 2024 performers. Five half-centuries were hammered by him.
Grateful for you skipper 💗 pic.twitter.com/hsdGYek6pp
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 17, 2025
All-rounder Riyan Parag, meanwhile, has fully healed from a shoulder injury and will be included in the team’s starting lineup. In 2024, Parag had a spectacular IPL season, scoring the most runs for the team and finishing third overall. He struck at 149.21 and amassed 573 runs at an average of 52.09. He excelled for the Rajasthan team after being promoted to the number three batting spot.
On Sunday, March 23, the inaugural winners will play Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Uppal Stadium to start their IPL 2025 campaign.
After this, they will play the Chennai Super Kings on March 30 and the reigning champion Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 at home in Guwahati.
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