An out-of-sorts Yashasvi Jaiswal would want his on-field exploits to make headlines rather than his off-field decisions as Rajasthan Royals, led by regular skipper Sanju Samson, will aim to keep a marauding Punjab Kings batting lineup in check in their IPL clash in Mullanpur on Saturday. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Indian batting’s heir apparent to Virat Kohli, recently made news for switching from Mumbai to Goa reportedly due to differences and ego clashes with an ageing, out-of-favour India star in his state team.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson isn’t worried about Yashasvi Jaiswal’s current form – he has 1, 29 and 4 in IPL 2025 so far – and is confident the opener will soon return to his dominant best.
Yashasvi Jaiswal IPL career and his performance in IPL 2025
Yashasvi Jaiswal was only 10 when he moved to Mumbai in pursuit of playing cricket. But the young boy had to struggle a lot to chase his dreams in the big city. Initially, when he had nowhere to go, a dairy owner provided him with a rooftop, but with a condition—the boy had to help him out at the shop. However, since Jaiswal was mostly playing cricket and couldn’t contribute much, the shopkeeper threw him out.
The left-handed batter’s first step towards success was when he smashed an astonishing 319 runs and took 13 wickets in a multi-day match of Haris Shield, one of the top school-level tournaments in Mumbai. He hasn’t looked back since. He scored tones of runs at the school level and then for the Mumbai U-16 and U-19 teams. This led to his selection in the Indian U-19 team in 2018.
During his first stint with the national team, the elegant batter emerged as the highest run-getter and steered India to the title in the 2018 U-19 Asia Cup. Jaiswal’s hunger for runs was unreal. He looked unstoppable, topping the batting charts in almost every tournament. The southpaw finished as the highest scorer in the ICC U-19 World Cup 2020 as well.
By now, he had made a name for himself in domestic cricket, pilling huge runs for Mumbai in both the Ranji Trophy—the premier domestic tournament—and white ball events. On the back of these performances, he was picked by Rajasthan Royals for Rs2.4 crore in 2020 in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.
The stylish left-hander also looked scratchy in his three knocks, scoring 1, 29, and 4, and he is expected to shoulder a lot more responsibility in this lineup, where Samson does most of the heavy lifting. One reason for Yashasvi Jaiswal’s poor form could be the lack of game time since his ODI debut against England in February, after which he was dropped from the Indian Champions Trophy squad.
Jaiswal’s ten dismissals in the powerplay are the joint-fourth-highest in the IPL since 2024. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he was caught superbly at point by Abhinav Manohar. Then against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he was dismissed looking to hit Moeen Ali out of the ground, while against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he chipped one to mid-off.
It also remains unclear how Yashasvi Jaiswal has taken Rajasthan Royals’ decision to appoint Riyan Parag as the stand-in skipper, despite the Assamese all-rounder not even being close to him in terms of sheer cricketing quality. RR skipper Sanju Samson has backed Yashasvi Jaiswal to perform well after a rocky start to his IPL 2025 campaign. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been short of runs at the top but Samson said that the southpaw is doing everything right and expects him to step up soon.
RR skipper Sanju Samson is positive of Yashasvi Jaiswal getting back to form in IPL 2025
Rajasthan Royals, led by regular skipper Sanju Samson, will aim to keep a marauding Punjab Kings batting lineup in check in their IPL clash here on Saturday and has a positive hope that his batting stalwart Yashasvi Jaiswal would come to run making form in the IPL 2025
“He has been working really hard,” Samson said ahead of RR’s match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur.
“I think he has been attending all the practice sessions. He does tick each and every box, which he has been ticking from last six years.”
“You can see he is batting the most hours in the nets,” Samson said.
“We’ve had to wait for many hours for him to get out from the nets. So, he is doing everything possible from his side to score those runs, to win those matches. As we all know, IPL is a very challenging format. As an opener, his game is also attacking. He wants to give us a positive start. He is looking for those boundaries. He is looking for those sixes. In that process, you tend to lose the wickets also.
“I think I would like to see him perform and come up the ranks at the right moment when the team requires him the most. I think I am happy that he is yet to perform. But I know when he performs, he will be winning the games for us as a team. So, he is doing everything fine.”
RR currently have one win in three games. Saturday’s outing will be Sanju Samson’s first as captain following a full recovery from a finger injury that limited his participation in the first two weeks of the season as an Impact Player.
That Yashasvi Jaiswal is desperate for a bigger leadership role in the national and IPL set-up has become an open secret after his Goa switch, but every move will prove to be counter-productive if he doesn’t get back among runs quickly. In the IPL universe, the form can turn from bad to worse in no time.
Samson’s return to leadership is a welcome boost, given his experience and ability to handle pressure. However, for Rajasthan Royals to thrive, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel must find form together, while the burly Shimron Hetmyer’s power-hitting at the death could prove crucial.
Also Read:Â PBKS vs RR: Unbeaten Punjab Kings Face A Stern Test Against Resurgent Rajasthan Royals