Sanju Samson passes fitness set, set to rejoin Rajasthan Royals squad in clash against Punjab Kings

Sanju Samson is set to lead Rajasthan Royals (RR) again after a three-week-long gap. The star player will make his comeback in RR's upcoming game of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 against Punjab Kings on Sunday (May 18).

Sanju who sustained a side strain, confirmed passing the fitness test in the pre-match post-conference.

Sanju Samson's injury

Sanju Samson last played in Rajasthan Royals' seventh game of the season against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. After scoring 31 runs off 19 balls, the RR skipper retired out in the middle of his innings. RR who eventually lost the game in the Super Over, managed to win just one match after that. With just two games remaining, RR will want to end their 2025 IPl campaign on a good note.

Sanju Samson on his return

“I passed my fitness test, so I am available for the game. It has been very difficult and challenging to watch the games from the dugout. I missed out on a lot of crucial matches, which made it even tougher," Sanju Samson expressed.

"Mentally, it was hard to see the team losing and not be able to contribute on the field. But these things are part of a cricketing career. I am trying to focus on the positives,” he added in the pre-match press conference.

Sanju Samson reflected on Rajasthan Royals journey in the IPL 2025 season

“The tournament is challenging and is closely fought. A match can change with one delivery. We lost four games on the final delivery. So, it is not easy to point the reason, Samson said."

"We made mistakes but at times you lose games even after you have done most things right. We want to learn from what we have done wrong,” he added further.

Sanju Samson's performance in IPL 2025

Matches played: 7

Runs scored: 224

Highest Score: 66

Average: 37.33

4s: 23

6s: 10

Catches: 2

Stumpings: 1

RR Probable XIIs

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Akash Madhwal

Rajasthan Royals on the IPL 2025 Points Table

Rajasthan Royals have won just three out of the nine matches played. They are ninth in the points table with 6 points and an NRR of -0.718. The only team below them is the Chennai Super Kings.

Rajasthan Royals in their previous five games: Lost, Lost, Won, Lost, Lost