Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson will play as an impact player in the first three matches of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Centre of Excellence has not cleared him to keep wickets, so he will feature only as a batter. For the same reason, Samson will not lead the Royals, instead, Riyan Parag has been appointed the skipper.
For the unversed, Samson was hit on his finger during the fifth T20I against England last month while facing a delivery from Jofra Archer. Following the injury, he underwent the surgery on the finger and was undergoing rehab at the Centre of Excellent in Bengaluru. He had only joined the RR squad recently but it was not clear whether he would keep.
Going by the latest update regarding his injury, Samson not leading is a huge blow for the Royals. Meanwhile, Parag will be leading a team in the IPL for the first time in his career and will become the seventh captain of Rajasthan Royals in IPL history.
The Royals will start their IPL campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23 and their net two matches are against Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings on March 26 and March 30 respectively.
In its statement, the franchise also confirmed that Samson will take over the captaincy duties once he is fully fit. "Sanju Samson, an integral part of the Royals set-up, will remain a key contributor with the bat till he gets cleared for wicket-keeping and fielding. He will return as captain once fully fit," the statement read. In Samson's absence on the field, Dhruv Jurel will take up the wicketkeeping duties for the Royals at least for the first three matches.
More to follow...