No Sanju Samson! Riyan Parag set to lead Rajasthan Royals in first three matches of IPL 2025. All we know so far

Riyan Parag is all set to captain Rajasthan Royals for the first three matches of IPL 2025 as regular skipper Sanju Samson is yet to be cleared by the BCCI's Center of Excellence. Sanju Samson will play either as a batsman or as an impact substitute in these matches.

On the elevations of Riyan Paras as Rajasthan Royals captain for the next few matches, the franchise - in a statement said - "Having been a crucial member of the Royals setup over the years, his understanding of the team's dynamic makes him well-equipped to step into this role for the initial phase of the tournament,"

Meanwhile, RR also posted a video of Sanju Samson announcing Parag as the skipper for the next 3 matches.

“I am actually not completely fit for next three more games. so there are a lot of leaders in this group. I think in the last few years, there are some great people who have taken care of this environment really nicely. but for the next three games. Riyan rihanna will be leading the team” Samson said in the video.

What happened to Sanju Samson? 

Samson had suffered an injury to his right index finger during the T20I series against England ahead of the Champions Trophy. Since then, the wicketkeeper batter had underwent surgery for the injury and was recovering under the guidance of BCCI's medical team. 

While Samson not captaining RR will be a major miss for the franchise, he is not the first captain to miss the opening game of his team this season. Earlier, Mumbai Indians had announced that Suryakumar Yadav would be captaining their side during the opening match against Chennai Super Kings as captain Hardik Pandya was facing a one-match ban due to a slow over rate in the last season.

Other Indian players who have a shadow of injury hanging over them are pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav.