Sun Mar 23 09:20:00 UTC 2025: ## Rajasthan Royals’ Sanju Samson to Miss First Three IPL 2025 Matches Due to Injury, Riyan Parag to Captain
**Mumbai, India** – Rajasthan Royals (RR) announced today that Riyan Parag will captain the team for the first three matches of IPL 2025. This temporary arrangement is due to an injury suffered by regular captain Sanju Samson during recent T20 internationals against England.
Samson, who underwent surgery on his right index finger, revealed the news in a team video posted on RR’s social media. While he is recovering well and will feature as a batsman, he will not be wicket-keeping for the first three games. He will still represent RR at the IPL captains’ meeting in Mumbai.
Parag, an Assam-based batsman, will take the reins in Samson’s absence. Samson expressed full confidence in Parag’s leadership abilities and urged the team to fully support him.
Samson’s recovery is progressing, but he hasn’t yet fully cleared wicket-keeping fitness tests. He will undergo another assessment at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after the third game to determine his full return to wicket-keeping duties. The team’s statement suggests Samson’s role in the first three games may be limited to an impact player role.
First Piper 