Sanju Samson To Miss IPL 2025 For Rajasthan Royals? Undergoes Finger Surgery

The recent five-match T20I series for India’s wicket-keeper batter, Sanju Samson, wasn’t full of success. The England pacers exposed his struggle against the pacers as he got hit on multiple occasions on the body.

It had a very cold five T20I for Samson, who cracked the T20I code last year. The right-handed batter smashed 436 runs in 2024 in just 12 T20I innings at an average of 43.60 and a strike rate of 180.17, with the help of three centuries and one half-century at the best score of 111.

Sanju Samson’s struggle in England series

When India toured South Africa late in 2024 for the four-match T20I series, Samson began with an impressive century at the Kingsmead in Dubar. The opening batter was the second leading run-getter of the trip with 216 runs in four innings at an average of 72 and a strike rate of 194.59, shouldering on two centuries at the best score of 111.

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But the story wasn’t the same against England. In the opening game, Sanu Samson drilled 26 runs in 20 deliveries. He tried to pull the short ball from Jofra Archer but the expressive speed hurried him into the shot as Gus Atkinson, at deep mid-wicket, grabbed a simple catch.

In the very next game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the Kerala batter got a top edge to the short ball as Brydon Carse didn’t need to work hard at the deep square region. Archer again dismissed him in Rajkot during the third T20I, while he punched the short ball from Saqib Mahmood straight into the hands of square leg in Pune.

However, for a moment, it felt like Sanju Samson was prepared for the short ball during the fifth T20I at the Wankhede Stadium. He made room and drilled Archer for a couple of sixes. But it was another frustrating end for the opener. The veteran could manage only 51 runs in five innings at an average of 10.20 and a strike rate of 118.60 at the best score of 26.

Sanju Samson undergoes successful finger surgery

India’s wicket-keeper batter has undergone finger surgery, but as reports claim, he will be fit for the start of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he will lead the Rajasthan Royals (RR). It has been noted that Sanju Samson will take around a month to recover after his surgery took place on February 11 (Tuesday).

That gives him enough time to prepare for the IPL, which starts on March 21. Samson picked up the injury during the fifth Mumbai T20I earlier this month when Jofra Archer hit him in the opening over of the clash. Dhruv Jurel kept wickets for him in the palace as the home side went on to record a massive 150-run victory.

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The injury forced Sanju to miss the quarter-final encounter for Kerala against Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. His last ODI in South Africa saw him scoring a century. After he missed the camp, Kerala ignored Samson for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25.

RR to open with Sanju Samson

Yashasvi Jaiswal has extended his bond with the inaugural champions, but they will be without their aggressive foreign opener, Jos Buttler. In that case, Sanju Samson could open the batting.

In the last edition, the leader smashed 531 runs in 15 innings at an average of 48.27 and a strike rate of 153.46 with the help of five half-centuries at the best score of 86.