Will Sanju Samson keep wickets in IPL 2025? Details here
What's the story
Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson's wicket-keeping role in IPL 2025 is uncertain.
A finger fracture from the England T20I series has cast doubt on his keeping duties.
While the Center of Excellence has cleared him to bat, his wicketkeeping approval is still pending.
'While the Center of Excellence physios have been satisfied with Samson's ability to bat without any struggle, they would want to take a closer look at his comfort levels while wicketkeeping,' PTI reported.
Here's more.
Backup option
Dhruv Jurel: The potential replacement
Should Samson fail to get the nod for wicket-keeping duties, Dhruv Jurel is set to be the team's designated wicketkeeper.
The franchise retained Jurel for a whopping ₹14 crore. He is the only other wicketkeeper-batter in the squad besides Samson.
This development adds another layer of intrigue as the Royals prepare for their IPL 2025 campaign opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
Coach-player relationship
Samson expresses excitement about Dravid's return
"Samson has been excited to work with Rahul Dravid, India's former head coach and RR's captain.
'Rahul sir was the one who spotted me from the trials. He came up to me and said, 'Can you play for my team?'" recalled Samson.
'From there to now, with me being the captain of the franchise and him coming back - I'm very grateful...to have Rahul sir back.'"
Numbers
Samson's numbers while keeping the wickets
Keeping wickets last season, the Royals' wicketkeeper-batter managed six catches and also executed a stumping across 16 matches.
Overall, he has managed to take 82 catches behind the stumps while also stumping out 16 batters in 168 IPL matches.
Notably, he also owns 4,419 runs at 30.68 (SR: 138.69) alongside three hundreds and 25 fifties.