Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson has made an important announcement for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He has announced that he will be sharing the wicketkeeping duties with Rajasthan Royals' another wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel. The crucial decision was taken after discussions with the RR team management and Dhruv Jurel.
The Royals entered the IPL 2025 auction with a limited purse of Rs. 41 crore after retaining six players: Samson (Rs. 18 crore), Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rs. 18 crore), Riyan Parag (Rs. 14 crore), Dhruv Jurel (Rs. 14 crore), Shimron Hetmyer (Rs. 11 crore), and Sandeep Sharma (Rs. 4 crore).
Sanju Samson to share wicketkeeping duties with Dhruv Jurel
During a conversation with South African batting legend AB de Villiers on his YouTube channel, Samson said that he believes it is crucial for Jurel's development to gain extensive wicketkeeping experience in the IPL. Given that Jurel is currently the Test wicketkeeper for India, this opportunity will benefit his overall growth as a cricketer.
"I have not said this on air. As I said before, we feel for the players. I think we feel Dhruv Jurel, where he is at his career, he is a Test wicketkeeper. He also needs to wear the gloves in the IPL at some point," Samson told AB de Villiers on ex-South Africa skipper's YouTube channel.
"That was discussed; we will be sharing gloves; we both will be sharing gloves. I have not captained much as a fielder, but I told him honestly ‘Dhruv, I totally understand from where you come from and what I think about you as a leader, you should keep in some games.’ We will see how to play around with that. Nothing should affect the team; the team comes first," Samson further stated.
The IPL 2025 season will come up with with some sort of change for RR skipper Sanju Samson. For the first time in several years, he will step down from his wicketkeeping duties. This shift will see him lead the RR from the field rather than behind the stumps.
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On the other hand, Jurel is currently busy in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series between India and Australia. Earlier this year, Jurel made an impressive debut for India, playing a crucial role in a match against England in Ranchi, which the Men in Blue ended up winning. In the four Test matches he has played thus far, the 23-year-old has amassed a total of 202 runs. Meanwhile, RR retained both Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Notably Jurel was retained for Rs 14 crore.
Talking about Samson's performance, his recent form has been exceptional, showcasing his prowess in the shortest format for Team India. He bagged a spectacular feat by scoring three centuries in the last five T20Is. His first T20I century came against Bangladesh in October 2024, followed by two more against South Africa, one in Durban and another in Johannesburg. Samson will look to carry the same form in IPL 2025 for RR, who made it to the playoffs in the previous season.
Rajasthan Royals' full squad for IPL 2025:
Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, Jofra Archer (Rs. 12.50 crore), Maheesh Theekshana (Rs. 4.4 crore), Wanindu Hasaranga (Rs. 5.25 crore), Akash Madhwal (Rs. 1.20 crore), Kumar Kartikeya (Rs. 30 lakh), Nitish Rana (Rs. 4.20 crore), Tushar Deshpande (Rs. 6.50 crore), Shubham Dubey (Rs. 80 lakh), Yudhvir Singh (Rs. 35 lakh), Fazalhaq Farooqi (Rs. 2 crore), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Rs. 1.10 crore), Kwena Maphaka (Rs. 1.50 crore), Kunal Rathore (Rs. 30 lakh), Ashok Sharma (Rs. 30 lakh).
