Sanju Samson, who had finger surgery last month, rejoined the Rajasthan Royals (RR) squad on Monday. Samson was undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, and it was unclear if he would be able to keep wicket immediately.
RR had kept Dhruv Jurel as a backup option in case Samson is unable to be fully fit for the match. Jurel also took the wicket in place of Samson in the fifth T20I against England in February after being hit on the finger by a Jofra Archer delivery while batting.
Riyan Parag is also ready to start for RR who is coming back from a shoulder injury. After recovering from the injury that kept him out of the T20Is against South Africa and England, the batting allrounder returned to action in the second phase of the Ranji Trophy and hit a half-century in the first innings and bowled 26 overs against Saurashtra.
Rajasthan Royals will play their first match of the IPL 2025 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23, before playing back-to-back home games against the Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati on March 26 and March 30.
