Rajasthan Royals will be without their captain Sanju Samson for their upcoming Indian Premier League clash in Bengaluru. Samson, who also missed the team's recent home game against the Lucknow Super Giants, did not travel with the squad and will be unavailable for the match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Rajasthan Royals departed from Jaipur on Monday, April 21. Samson sustained a blow to his ribs during Rajasthan's match against the Delhi Capitals and was forced to retire hurt after facing only 19 deliveries. He subsequently reported abdominal pain and was rested for the subsequent game against the Lucknow Super Giants.
Rahul Dravid on Sanju Samson's return
Ahead of their IPL 2025 encounter against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, scheduled to be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday, April 24th, RR head coach Rahul Dravid provided an update on Sanju Samson's injury. He stated that Samson's fitness will be evaluated on a 'day-to-day basis'.
Confirming his absence, it has been announced that Samson, who sustained the injury during the match against the Delhi Capitals last week, will not feature in Rajasthan Royals' game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Riyan Parag will continue to lead the team in Samson's absence.
“Sanju couldn’t play the last game (against LSG), and for this game, our medical team did not rule him fit to play. So we took the decision not to risk his travel to Bengaluru. We will try and get him back as quickly as possible. I have no timeline as to when exactly he will be fit,” Dravid said at the pre-match press conference.
Rahul also commented on RR's stand-in captain Riyan Parag and said that the star batter is getting the pulse of the game really well.
“I think he’s getting the pulse of the game really well for someone who’s so young and just starting out with captaincy,” he added.
Currently RR are reeling at eighth position in the IPL 2025 points table with just two wins in a total of 8 matches. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are well placed at the third spot with six wins in a total of eight matches.