Sanju Samson Ruled Out of Crucial Match Against RCB on April 24

Rajasthan Royals have been dealt a big blow just when they could’ve used a bit of good news. Their skipper, Sanju Samson, is set to miss another key fixture — this time against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 24 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. With RR already battling form issues, the timing couldn’t be worse.

This will be Samson’s second straight absence after picking up an abdominal injury during that dramatic Super Over loss to Delhi Capitals. The Royals confirmed the news in an official update, saying, “Samson is currently undergoing recovery and will remain at the team’s home base (Jaipur) with select RR medical staff. As part of his ongoing rehab process, he will not be travelling to Bangalore for the upcoming match against RCB. The team management is monitoring his progress closely and will take a game-by-game approach regarding his return to action.” 

In his absence, Riyan Parag will continue to lead the team. Parag had already stepped into the captaincy role earlier this season when Samson was sidelined with a finger injury picked up during the T20I series against England. As a stand-in skipper, Parag has done fairly well with the bat — scoring 105 runs across four matches at a brisk strike rate of 147.88. 

Samson had made a bright start to his IPL 2025 campaign, kicking things off with a solid 66 off 37 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He continued to look in good touch in the games that followed, including a fluent 31 against Delhi before he had to retire hurt mid-innings. He never made it back to the crease for the Super Over. 

With Samson out, fans can expect to see 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi take on a bigger role once again. The young left-hander impressed on debut and will likely partner Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order in Bengaluru. It’s another opportunity for RR’s young guns to step up — but they’ll surely be hoping to have their captain back sooner rather than later. 

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