The Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson has begun his practice sessions in the nets after sustaining an injury. The right-handed batter suffered a side strain during the clash against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi and had to be replaced by the 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the playing XI.
The Kerala-born featured in the first three matches of the RR campaign as a specialist batter through Impact Substitute option due to a finger injury. Riyan Parag took care of the captaincy duties in his absence. After getting a full fitness clearance, Samson played just four matches with complete duties before suffering another injury that forced him out of action.
The inaugural edition champions have been eliminated from the IPL 2025 and have to play two remaining league fixtures as per the rearranged schedule against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Punjab Kings (PBKS). With the week’s pause of the IPL due to the cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, Samson got some time to recover from the injury.
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Parag has led the team once again in Samson’s absence but the team has faced several close defeats under his reign, which has ultimately resulted in their group-stage exit from the tournament. Meanwhile, Samson made a fairly impressive impact with the bat by scoring 224 runs in seven innings.
The Jaipur-based franchise is currently placed ninth in the IPL 2025 points table, with only three wins so far. Their remaining fixtures are against Punjab Kings on May 18 and Chennai Super Kings on May 20. Despite a disappointing season, the Royals have discovered several promising youngsters in the 18th edition of the IPL and will look to make a stronger comeback in next year’s tournament.
