Sanju Samson has been given the green light by the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to resume wicketkeeping duties for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2025. After recovering from finger surgery last month, Samson will also reclaim the captaincy from Riyan Parag, who led RR in their first three matches this season.

During Samson’s absence, he played solely as a batter while Parag took over as skipper and Dhruv Jurel kept wickets. RR lost their first two matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) before securing a victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Guwahati on March 30.

“With this positive development, Samson will return to his full leadership role and resume captaincy from the team’s next match against Punjab Kings,” RR stated. “The franchise is encouraged by his progress and looks forward to having him back in action behind the stumps and leading the side.”

Samson’s return not only strengthens RR’s leadership but also allows for more flexibility with their Impact Player strategy. In the match against CSK, RR had to bring in Kumar Kartikeya as an Impact Player after Samson was dismissed, but he bowled only one over in the game.

So far in IPL 2025, Samson has scored 99 runs at a strike rate of nearly 155. With just two points, RR currently sit second from the bottom on the points table. They will next face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur on April 5.