Sanju Samson excited to return as captain after ‘different’ experience as Impact Player

Sanju Samson is all set to return as Rajasthan Royals' captain for Saturday’s IPL 2025 clash against Punjab Kings in Chandigarh after being cleared to resume wicketkeeping duties by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) medical team.

The 30-year-old, who had to be content with his role as the Impact Player for the first three matches of the ongoing Indian Premier League season on account of not being fit enough to field, is eager to reclaim his full role.

"To be honest, I am very happy and excited to be back and to be fully fit, to keep wickets, to play as a normal player. I think I have been really looking forward to it and it feels very exciting,” Sanju Samson told ESPNCricinfo during a pre-match interview.

Despite being restricted to batting, Samson showed glimpses of form with a 66-run knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the season opener and got starts in his next two outings against Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings.

However, Samson, who has been the Royals’ skipper since 2021, admitted that playing as an Impact Player was very different from his usual matchday experiences.

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“Missing out in three games, I was just holding myself back and seeing the games from a different perspective,” he said. “It was a different experience for me to sit at the dugout and see my friends, my young brothers, playing out there, fighting out there.”

The young and dynamic Riyan Parag captained the Royals in the first three games of the season in Samson’s stead. He hands over the reins of the team back to the regular skipper after helping the team record their first victory of the campaign last week.

Rajasthan Royals will look to push the momentum forward against PBKS this weekend with Sanju Samson leading the way.

“I think Punjab is coming back to their home after a long time and they will be also having all their fans supporting them. We really enjoy that challenge and are looking forward to it,” the RR skipper noted about the upcoming challenge.