In a significant development in the IPL 2025 season, Sanju Samson has been handed the captaincy reins of the Rajasthan Royals for their encounter against Punjab Kings at Mullanpur on Saturday. Punjab Kings, captained by Shreyas Iyer, won the toss and elected to field first in what promises to be a thrilling contest.
The Punjab Kings, riding high on confidence, are set to play their first home game after securing a perfect start with two consecutive victories. Shreyas Iyer, who has been in scintillating form, has notched up 149 runs in these two matches at an incredible strike rate of over 200, including back-to-back half-centuries.
The home side has opted to stick with the same XI that brought them success in their previous game, showcasing their faith in the current squad. On the other side, Rajasthan Royals have welcomed back their stalwart, Sanju Samson, who missed the initial matches due to a finger injury. Samson, who was seen as the Impact Player in the first three games, is now set to lead the team for the first time this season.
Samson’s return adds significant firepower and leadership to the Royals’ lineup. He replaces Riyan Parag as captain, signaling a shift in the team’s dynamics. The Royals come into this game after a hard-fought six-run victory against Chennai Super Kings in their last outing, where Nitish Rana and Wanindu Hasaranga shone brightly with the bat and ball, respectively.
However, the Royals made a solitary change to their squad, with Tushar Deshpande making way for Yudhvir Singh due to a minor injury. The team currently occupies the ninth position in the league standings, having lost two out of their first three matches.
On the bowling front for Punjab Kings, young Vijaykumar Vyshak, who turned 28, is expected to play a crucial role. His impactful performances as a substitute in the season opener against Gujarat Titans have already turned heads.
Speaking at the toss, Shreyas Iyer mentioned, “Looking at the last game, we were playing on a new wicket and we want to see how the pitch plays. Same mindset here as well. We need to stabilise the rhythm from game one, and that’s happened. Important to steady the ship from here; the boys are in high spirits. Need to maintain composure and calmness throughout the season. We’ve played the practice games here, so we know how the wicket will play. We played our last two games on red soil, so hopefully we can adapt early.”
Expressing his excitement about leading the team, Sanju Samson said, “Pretty happy to bat first and put on a decent total. I could feel what the coaches would be going through, a bit restless and helpless. But excited to be back now. It is a new team and team management, we have got to know each other now, and it takes a bit of time. We are feeling better now, last game we pretty much had the perfect game. We have a small niggle for Tushar Despande, so he’s out for today and Yudhvir comes in for him.”
Playing XIs
Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Sandeep Sharma.