Last Updated:
RR captain Sanju Samson is out of Saturday’s game against LSG due to injury. Riyan Parag will lead the team at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Samson was injured in the last match against Delhi Capitals.
Sanju Samson (Picture Credit: AP)
Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson has been ruled out of Saturday’s clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium due to injury. Riyan Parag will captain the team in this game.
Parag had earlier captained the team in the first three matches when Samson was only fit to bat (and not keep wickets) and thus played as an Impact Player. Although his recovery time is undefined, it’ll be a significant blow to RR, who have won just two matches from seven this season and are desperate for a turnaround in the second half of the group stage.
14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi replaced Samson in the team and will become the youngest to make his debut in the IPL.
“We were looking to bowl, it is a little bit warm under lights, should be better than the last time,” Parag said at the toss. “Vaibhav the youngster comes in. It’s been kinda tricky, we’ve been doing small bits right but we haven’t been able to put a collective performance together, we’ve been having honest chats as a team. We love playing here, we know the conditions well, hope we can put that to good use.”
Earlier, Samson had picked up an injury in the middle of the last match against Delhi Capitals and had to retire out. His return to the dug-out for 31 (19) proved crucial in RR’s chase of 189, which ended in a tie and a Super-Over loss for the Royals.
“Sanju experienced a bit of pain in the abdominal area,” head coach Rahul Dravid said after that game, on Friday. “He has done some scans today so we are waiting the results of those scans. And then once we get a bit more clarity around the scans and the severity of [the injury] we’ll take a decision going forward and we’ll see what happens.”
When asked about the injury after the match, Samson told the broadcasters, “It feels alright. I was just not ready to come back and bat here. We’ll observe it tomorrow and see how it is.”
It remains to be seen when Samson can return to the team. RR will next play Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 24.
