Sanju Samson joined the squad a few days ago after recovering from finger surgery. Sanju Samson had sustained an injury during India’s T20I series against England in February, which ruled him out of the remainder of the series and required surgical intervention.
Rajasthan Royals’ batter Riyan Parag has been named the side’s captain for the first three matches of IPL 2025, the franchise announced on Thursday. The announcement follows Sanju Samson’s decision to delay his return as captain until Sanju Samson regains full fitness; though cleared to bat, Sanju Samson remains unfit for wicketkeeping duties.
Riyan Parag will lead Rajasthan Royals for the first three games of IPL 2025. While the Assam batter is the makeshift leader, regular captain Sanju Samson will feature in the matches, albeit as a pure batter, possibly hinting at an impact player role.
Rajasthan Royals faced a huge blow days before the beginning of IPL 2025. The 18th edition of the cash-rich league is all set to begin from March 22 with Kolkata Knight Riders taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden Gardens. RR will kick-start their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23 but for the first three games, Sanju Samson will not be leading the inaugural champions. Sanju Samson is currently recovering from his finger injury and has handed over the captaincy to batter Riyan Parag for the first three matches.
Sanju Samson’s injury update as RR announces new skipper for the first three matches of IPL 2025 Season
Sanju Samson joined the Royals earlier this week after completing his recovery from a finger surgery he underwent last month. The 30-year-old cricketer, who finished his rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, attended the Royals’ first practice session on Monday ahead of the upcoming season.
Samson is positively recovering from the injury to his right index finger, sustained during the home T20Is against England recently. The wicket-keeper batter had to undergo surgery for the same and has made rapid strides in his recovery. While Parag is set to lead in the first three games, Samson will be representing RR at the IPL captains’ meeting in Mumbai.
Sanju Samson was one of the major Indian players whose recovery from injury was under the scanner leading up to the IPL. While he had made satisfactory progress in fitness while batting, there had been noticeable discomfort for the 30-year-old while keeping wickets.
In the update mentioned by Cricbuzz last week, a partial clearance was expected for Sanju Samson as he was yet to clear the wicket-keeping fitness tests convincingly. The latest update from the RR camp indicates that their regular captain will have to wait till the completion of the third game, after which he has to attend another fitness test at the NCA for his keeping.
Sanju Samson had suffered the injury after being struck by a bouncer from Jofra Archer during India’s five-match T20I series against England. Following the injury, he underwent surgery to treat the damaged finger. In Sanju Samson’s absence behind the stumps, Dhruv Jurel will most likely be performing the wicketkeeping duties in the first three matches for the Royals.
Rajasthan Royals’ decision to hand Riyan the captaincy underscores the franchise’s confidence in his leadership, a skill he has demonstrated through his tenure as Assam’s domestic captain. Having been a crucial member of the Royals setup over the years, his understanding of the team’s dynamic makes him well-equipped to step into this role for the initial phase of the tournament.
I expect everyone to support Riyan Parag for next 3 games- Sanju Samson
Riyan Parag will lead Rajasthan Royals for the first three games of IPL 2025. While the Assam batter is the makeshift leader, regular captain Sanju Samson will feature in the matches, albeit as a pure batter, possibly hinting at an impact player role.
This will be the first time Riyan Parag will lead the Royals since beginning his IPL career with the same franchise in 2019. The right-handed batter from Assam endured tough outings, and faced severe criticism for his poor performances with the bat throughout his first five seasons; however, Parag redeemed himself last year, emerging as one of the top performers in the league. The batter scored 573 runs in 16 matches for the franchise at a strike rate of nearly 150 (149.3).
Parag’s captaincy news was revealed during an informal team chat by Samson, the video of which was posted by Rajasthan Royals’ social media handles.
“I’m yet to be fully fit for the next three games,” said Samson while addressing the team.
“There are many leaders in this team. Over the last few years, there have been some great people who have taken care of this environment really nicely. For the next three games, Riyan will be leading the team. I expect everyone to support him and be with him.”
Rajasthan Royals’ decision to hand Riyan the captaincy underscores the franchise’s confidence in his leadership, a skill he has demonstrated through his tenure as Assam’s domestic captain. Having been a crucial member of the Royals setup over the years, his understanding of the team’s dynamic makes him well-equipped to step into this role for the initial phase of the tournament.
Rajasthan Royals’ first two home games of the season are scheduled to be played at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati against Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings on March 26 and March 30, respectively. Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur will serve as Rajasthan Royals’ fortress for the rest of the home matches.
The Royals, who won the inaugural IPL title in 2008, reached the playoffs last year after finishing third on the points table but failed to make it to the final after losing the eliminator to Sunrisers Hyderabad.