Rajasthan Royals suffered a massive blow ahead of the start of IPL 2025 season. The 2008 champions will kick-start their campaign with the match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday March 23. The cash-rich tournament, however, will start with the match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Eden Gardens.
IPL 2025: Sanju Samson to Play Under Riyan Parag’s Captaincy for First Three Games – Here’s Why
But Rajasthan Royals will have to mold their plans in the first three games as regular captain Sanju Samson will be playing a bit-part role. As per report, Samson is yet to fully recover from an injury he suffered against England. The decision was made by Rajasthan Royals’ Center of Excellence, which did not grant clearance for Samson to keep wickets in the first three games. As a result, the Indian international will now have to play as an impact player instead.
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“Sanju Samson, an integral part of the Royals set-up, will remain a key contributor with the bat till he gets cleared for wicket-keeping and fielding. He will return as captain once fully fit,” Rajasthan Royals said in a statement.
Samson joined the squad only a few days ago, which again indicates that he is not fully fit as of yet. Also, the fact that Rajasthan decided to hand captaincy to Riyan Parag shows the confidence this franchise has in the young player’s abilities as a leader.
Rajasthan Royals’ first match is against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The 2008 champions will then play two home games which will be played at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati against Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings on March 26 and March 30, respectively.
