Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson will not be opening the batting for the franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 fixture against Punjab Kings at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The right-handed batter made his return from an injury but decided to sacrifice his batting slot for the 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who set the stage on fire with his whirlwind 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans.
While speaking at the toss, Samson explained that Suryavanshi has been performing extremely well; hence, it will be unfair for him to take his slot as an opener. The Rajasthan Royals captain will bat lower down the order, most probably at No.3.
Samson was RR’s designated opener, however, his injury against the Delhi Capitals forced the management to try out Vaibhav Suryavanshi at the top of the order. The teenager hit his first ball in the IPL for a six off the bowling of Shardul Thakur.
However, he made the entire world take notice after scoring a century against the Gujarat Titans.
“I think if someone has done something extraordinary, you have to respect that no matter his age,” Sanju Samson said after losing the toss against Punjab Kings.
“Definitely would like to respect that, and I will come down the order,” he added.
In the six matches, the left-handed Suryavanshi has played in the ongoing IPL 2025 season, he has scored 155 runs at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 209.46.
Punjab Kings win the toss
Earlier, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first. The franchise is without Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis, who have yet to arrive in India.
Sanju Samson replaced the injured Nitish Rana in the playing XI.
The IPL 2025 season was set to resume on Saturday, May 17, with the contest between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, due to rain, the match was abandoned without a single ball being bowled.
Earlier, the IPL 2025 season was suspended for one week due to the rising tensions between India and Pakistan at the border, following the Pahalgam terror attack. A ceasefire declaration then paved the way for the tournament to resume.