"Ho jayega teen match bahar baithna hai" - Sanju Samson reacts to playing as an impact player in IPL 2025 ahead of PBKS vs RR match
Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson reflected on playing as an impact player in the early stages of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). The wicketkeeper played as a pure batter in the first three matches for RR after recently recovering from a fractured finger, with Riyan Parag leading the team instead.
Samson sustained the injury during the fifth T20I between India and England at the Wankhede Stadium. He was cleared by the physios at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence to play as a batter, but had to clear additional tests to feature with the gloves as well. As per the directive, Samson did not keep wickets or play as a fielder.
Samson travelled to Bengaluru to prove his fitness to feature as a wicketkeeper for the remainder of the campaign. After being cleared by the physios officially, he is all set to don the gloves again and lead the side for RR's upcoming clash against the Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on Saturday, April 5.
"To be very honest, I was a bit surprised. I was like ‘Ho jayega teen match bahar baithna hai’ (I was thinking it will pass quickly as it’s only a matter of three games). But missing three games, I was just holding myself back and seeing the game from a different perspective," Samson told reporters (via the Indian Express).
"So, it was a bit of a different learning experience… to sit in the dug-out and see my brothers fighting it out there. So to be honest, I am pretty excited to be back and to be fully fit to keep wickets and to bat,” Samson added.
Samson has been hot and cold with the bat as an impact sub in IPL 2025 so far. Now opening the innings, the right-handed batter has made 99 runs at an average of 33 and a strike rate of 154.69.
"It’s definitely a challenging task" - Sanju Samson on balancing multiple roles with RR in the IPL
Sanju Samson has been leading RR on a full-time basis since the 2021 season, even leading them to the finals in the 2022 edition. With the franchise reliant on him in the batting department, and as a wicketkeeper, the player has had his hands full in recent times.
“It's something very new to me. I think captaining a side as well as opening and keeping wickets. It’s definitely a challenging task. So I am very much looking forward to it. I think every IPL season brings something new to my career. So I have accepted it and I am learning from it. So it’s very exciting and I am looking forward to how I can contribute in all these three departments,” Samson explained.
RR are up against an in-form PBKS side in a crucial juncture of the IPL 2025 season. The Shreyas Iyer-led side have won each of their first two matches in the competition, and are set to feature in their first home game of the season.