[[{“value”:”
Just when things appeared to be going smoothly for Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson, the team was dealt a major setback. The captain, who had been holding the innings together, was forced to walk off the field due to an untimely injury, much to his visible frustration. Interestingly, the Kerala batter was not struck by any delivery. Instead, he appeared to suffer a muscle pull around the rib-cage area while attempting to chase down a ball.
The incident occurred during the Royals` chase against Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2025 fixture. Delhi spinner Vipraj Nigam delivered a flatter ball outside the off stump, which Samson stretched to reach but missed. It was in that moment that Samson seemingly pulled a muscle in his rib area. Despite the discomfort, he continued to bat and faced one more delivery. However, sensing that the injury could worsen, the RR captain decided not to take any chances and walked off the field. The Royals’ medical staff tended to him briefly on the field before he made the decision.
Sanju Samson has retired hurt himself and gone off the field with an injury
Was looking so good before this #RRvsDC #DCvsRR pic.twitter.com/4RFqO31jot
— Cricketism (@MidnightMusinng) April 16, 2025
Not good news for the Rajasthan Royals team. Captain Sanju Samson walked off due to injury.#IPL2025 #SanjuSamson #RRvsDC pic.twitter.com/w8XNyGYGZC
— Grok Bhau (@GrokBhau) April 16, 2025
In Samson’s absence, Riyan Parag was sent in to continue the innings. Unfortunately for RR, the move didn’t pay off, as Parag failed to make an impact and was dismissed by Axar Patel after scoring just 8 runs from 11 deliveries.
With Samson’s unexpected exit, questions arose about whether a substitute batter could replace him. However, according to IPL rules, RR cannot directly replace Samson in the batting lineup for the remainder of the innings. That said, they still have the strategic option of using their Impact Player, a rule that allows a pre-named substitute to be brought in at any stage of the game. This could provide them with an additional batting resource during a high-pressure chase.
While the extent of Samson’s injury remains unclear, the sight of their captain walking off the field mid-innings could be a worrying sign for Rajasthan Royals, particularly with the playoff race heating up. A potential absence of their in-form leader in the upcoming matches could significantly dent their campaign momentum.
“}]]
