Sanju Samson Awaits BCCI Nod for Wicketkeeping Comeback

Sanju Samson has made a visit to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in pursuit of clearance for wicket-keeping. India ‘keeper-batter flew from Guwahati to Bengaluru on Monday (March 31) in a quest to get full clearance from the CoE managers.

Partial Clearance and First IPL Comeback

The Rajasthan Royals captain had been given only a temporary and partial clearance to continue playing in the current IPL after undergoing surgery on his right index finger. Now, he will be tested by the Sport Science wing at the CoE and seek permission to resume his normal responsibilities.

Probable Return as Rajasthan Royals Skipper

Provided permission is granted to keep wickets, Sanju will also resume as skipper. Due to the partial clearance, he had given up the captaincy to Riyan Parag and played as an Impact Player in the Royals’ three matches till now this season. Sources say that his thumb injury has completely healed, and he feels good enough to resume wicket-keeping responsibilities. “He will request permission to do so for the rest of the games and should be available as skipper from the RR’s next game, which is almost a week from now,” an insider revealed.

Sanju Samson IPL 2025 Performance Till Date

Sanju Samson has scored 66 (against SRH), 13 (against KKR), and 20 (against CSK) in the three matches he has played to date as strictly a batter, without playing any overs, as compared to being an Impact Player. In Sanju’s absence, Dhruv Jurel stood in as the team’s wicketkeeper. If he gets the go-ahead from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) facility, the India ‘keeper-batter is likely to regain his position behind the wickets and also resume his captaincy.

The Royals have had a patchy beginning to their IPL season, losing their first two matches before breaking their duck with a victory over Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati on Sunday evening. They will then play Punjab Kings in an away match on April 5, then another road match, against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on April 9. The team will then get back to their initial hub, Jaipur, where they will host their third home match against RCB on April 13.