IPL 2025: Sanju Samson joins RR after recovering from injury
What's the story
Rajasthan Royals's captain Sanju Samson has rejoined his team after a successful recovery from finger surgery.
The 30-year-old batter completed his rehabilitation in Bengaluru and attended the Royals's inaugural practice session on Monday.
This comes just ahead of the highly anticipated 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Earlier, the injury, which Samson suffered in the England T20I series, had cast doubt on his wicket-keeping duties.
Incident
Injury during T20I series against England
As mentioned, Samson injured his finger during India's five-match T20I series against England at home.
He coped a blow with a fierce bouncer from Jofra Archer. The incident resulted in surgery being needed to fix the damaged finger.
On his RR return, the skipper was spotted interacting with teammates including Yashasvi Jaiswal and head coach Rahul Dravid among others.
Future
Uncertain wicket-keeping role for Samson
Despite his full recovery, it remains to be seen if Samson will return as wicket-keeper immediately.
If he isn't fit enough, Dhruv Jurel will likely take over the duties behind the stumps.
The Rajasthan Royals will begin their IPL 2025 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on March 23.
Recovery
Riyan Parag also returns from shoulder injury
Along with Samson's return, Rajasthan Royals have also welcomed back all-rounder Riyan Parag who had been out of action due to a shoulder injury.
The injury had earlier ruled him out of India's T20Is against South Africa and England.
Parag returned to action in the Ranji Trophy's second phase, where he scored a half-century and bowled 26 overs against Saurashtra.
Twitter Post
Samson receives grand welcome
Straight from the airport ➡️ to our first practice match ➡️ to making everyone smile like he does! 💗💗 pic.twitter.com/da89DV0Jgt
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 18, 2025