Is Sanju Samson playing today's RR vs PBKS IPL 2025 match? Who will be the RR captain?

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be hosting the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 59th encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) season at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on May 18, 2025. Rajasthan Royals have already been eliminated from the race to qualify for the IPL 2025 playoffs as they have managed to win just three games this year out of their 12 matches. The 2008 IPL champions are currently languishing at the ninth spot on the points table. Rajasthan Royals will now be aiming to play for pride and focus on winning both of their last two matches to end their IPL 2025 campaign on a positive note. 

Sanju Samson set to play today's RR vs PBKS IPL 2025 match? Who will be the RR captain?

The good news for the Rajasthan Royals' fans is that their skipper Sanju Samson is fully fit to play the IPL 2025 match against Punjab Kings on Sunday. He will also be taking over as the Rajasthan Royals captain in place of Riyan Parag for the remainder of the T20 competition. During the pre-match press conference, Sanju himself revealed that he has successfully passed the fitness test and is available for selection in the clash against DC. 

Incidentally, Sanju Samson played as an impact player during the first three matches of the Indian Premier League 2025 season for the Rajasthan Royals due to a finger injury. He also missed the recent few games due to a side injury and in his absence, Riyan Parag took over as the stand-in captain. Samson has smashed a fine total of 224 runs from 7 matches in the ongoing edition of the T20 tournament at a strike-rate of more than 140 that includes just a single fifty-plus score. 

“I passed my fitness test, so I’m available for the game. Yeah, I think 'frustrating' is definitely the right word. It's been very difficult and challenging to watch the games from the dugout. I missed out on many crucial matches, which made it even tougher. Mentally, it was hard to see the team losing and not be able to contribute on the field. But these things are part of a cricketing career. I'm trying to take it in my stride and focus on the positives,” said Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson in the pre-match press conference.

On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals have suffered a big setback as their premier fast bowler Jofra Archer will not be available for the RR vs PBKS IPL 2025 match due to an injury. Archer picked up the injury during the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders and he is unlikely to return for the remainder of the IPL 2025 season.

RR Playing 11

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel(wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Fazalhaq Farooqi/Kwena Maphaka.

RR IPL 2025 squad

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Singh Rathore, Riyan Parag(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Wanindu Hasaranga, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Maheesh Theekshana, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Akash Madhwal, Sanju Samson, Tushar Deshpande, Kumar Kartikeya, Nandre Burger, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ashok Sharma.