Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson will return to lead the side in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match against Punjab Kings at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday after recovering from an abdominal injury.
Samson was sidelined for three weeks and missed the Royals' previous four matches after suffering an abdominal strain while batting against Delhi Capitals on April 16.
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During his absence, RR beat the Gujarat Titans but lost the other three games.
Samson, however, has completed his rehabilitation and rejoined training earlier this month. He was named in Sunday’s matchday squad and will immediately resume captaincy duties.
Vice-captain Riyan Parag had led RR in Samson’s absence.
During Samson’s injury, 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi filled in for the Royals skipper as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s opening partner. The teenager also scored a historic century against GT.
Despite his absence in the four matches, Sanju Samson is still the Rajasthan Royals’ fourth-highest scorer in IPL 2025 with 224 runs in seven outings. The tally includes one half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the season opener.
Samson also played the first three matches of the season purely as a batting Impact Player due to a finger injury. Parag had also donned the captain’s hat in these three matches.
