Sanju Samson isn’t enjoying much success in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. As captain of the Rajasthan Royals (RR), he’s lost 4 matches out of the 6 played. He’s batting sluggishly whenever he’s opened. Despite being the highest scorer for RR, Samson hasn’t looked anywhere near his best.
Sanju Samson in IPL 2025
Innings: 6
Runs: 193
Average: 32.16
Strike Rate: 140.87
Highest Score: 66
Samson wears three hats. But primarily he’s a batter and then a captain and wicketkeeper. And in a time when his willow hasn’t been speaking, he’s having trouble with the gloves and as a leader.
Sanju Samson’s selection error
With his team desperately needing a win against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Samson decided to once again play Tushar Deshpande. The pacer has played 6 matches and averages 40. He’s giving away 2 runs per ball. Yet, he picked Deshpande again. He went for 38 runs in 3 overs.
Didn’t hear anything
Luckily for Samson, the other bowlers did well. But then he made an error behind the wickets. DC had raced off the blocking, scoring 33 runs in the first 2 overs. By the end of the 13th over, RR had them at 98/3. Just 65 runs were scored in 11 overs.
On the last ball of the 13th over, Jofra Archer bowled a vicious bouncer. Abhishek Porel had no answers for it. He somehow ducked away. Archer looked interested. The ball had whizzed past the batter, but Samson showed no interest behind the stumps. Before the next over started, the replays showed that Abhishek had indeed edged the ball and that he was out.
Luckily, the missed opportunity didn’t cost RR that much, as Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed Abhishek in the next over. But on another day, it might have cost RR the match. Samson’s troubles with the bat might be hindering his success as RR’s captain and wicketkeeper. If he doesn’t get to his best soon, it’ll be too late for his team.
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