Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson will miss Thursday’s IPL 2025 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will serve as the host to the contest.
Samson sustained an abdominal strain during RR’s clash against Delhi Capitals on April 16. He was retired hurt on 31 off 19, as the clash ended in a tie and the Capitals emerged as the winner in the Super Over.
In the last game against Lucknow Super Giants, the 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi replaced Samson and made his IPL debut. After hitting 34 off 20, he will again open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Ahead of the RCB game, Samson remained in Jaipur to undergo recovery, and his progress will be monitored by the medical staff. In place of Samson, Riyan Parag will captain the RR side.
“Samson is currently undergoing recovery and will remain at the team’s home base (Jaipur) with select RR medical staff,” the franchise said in a statement. “As part of his ongoing rehab process, he will not be travelling to Bangalore for the upcoming match against RCB. The team management is monitoring his progress closely and will take a game-by-game approach regarding his return to action.”
Notably, Samson played as an Impact Player for RR in the first three games while recovering from a finger injury, as Parag led the team.
Sanju Samson is the second-highest run-scorer for RR in IPL 2025
Despite injury concerns, Sanju Samson has done fairly well in emerging as the second-highest run-scorer for RR so far. He has garnered 224 runs in seven innings at an average of 37.33 and a strike rate of 143.58.
Samson’s best knock of 66 off 37 came in the tournament opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Since then, the right-hander has had starts, but failed to convert them into a substantial knock.
