Sanju Samson Cleared To Captain Rajasthan Royals, Resume Wicketkeeping In IPL 2025
Sanju Samson returns as Rajasthan Royals captain after NCA clearance to keep wickets in IPL 2025. He'll lead against Punjab Kings on April 5. RR, currently second-last, need a lift-up.
Sanju Samson is set to return as Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain after receiving clearance from the National Cricket Academy (NCA, or the Centre of Excellence) to keep wickets in IPL 2025. He’ll lead the team against the Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on April 5.
Samson was hit on his right index finger after being hit by RR teammate and England pacer Jofra Archer during India’s T20I series against England in February. He spent the next few weeks at the NCA in Bengaluru and initially, only got the clearance to play as a specialist batter for the first few matches of the IPL season.
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RR followed the directions and used the Impact Player rule to limit Samson’s wicketkeeping duties. As he couldn’t be on the field, Riyan Parag led in the first three matches.
“Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has received clearance from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to resume wicketkeeping duties following a period of recovery," the Royals said in a release.
“The clearance comes after a thorough assessment of his fitness by the NCA medical team. 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."
Sanju Samson (C) & (WK) ✅💗 pic.twitter.com/LNPQb1X0uC— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 2, 2025
While Samson was substituted in for the second innings in RR’s season-opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he was substituted out before the second essays in the contests against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders. In these, his performances were inconsistent with scores of 66, 13 and 20 runs.
RR lost their first two matches but secured a clinical win over CSK at their second home, the Baraspara Stadium in Guwahati. They are currently placed second-last in the points table and are in desperate need of a lift-up.
Parag, captaining in the IPL for the first time, couldn’t get the best out of his team. He courted further controversies about his off-field outlook for good measure.
Samson is RR’s longest-serving captain in the IPL, having led in 61 matches since 2021. From these, RR have won 31 and lost 29, reaching the playoffs twice, including a runners-up finish in his first season in charge.
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