Sanju Samson will miss another match due to an abdominal injury, with Rahul Dravid saying there’s no clear return date yet.
Sanju Samson will miss Rajasthan Royals’ upcoming match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru due to an abdominal niggle. He also sat out their previous game against Lucknow Super Giants. The injury was picked up during the match against Delhi Capitals.
Rahul Dravid, currently part of Rajasthan’s support staff, confirmed that Samson was not cleared to play by the medical team. To avoid further strain, the Royals decided not to risk him with additional travel. The team has retained their physio to focus on Samson’s recovery.
“Sanju, I think, sort of picked up a bit of a side issue with the game against Delhi (Capitals), and he couldn’t play the last game and in this game as well. He wasn’t fit and our medical team sort of didn’t rule him fit to play this game,” Dravid said while speaking at the pre-match press conference.
“So, we took the decision and the medical advice to not risk him travelling — make two more flights and be here. We kept the physio back so that we can treat him and try and get him back as quickly as we possibly can,” Dravid added.
Although Vaibhav Suryavanshi stepped up with a strong knock in Samson’s absence, Rajasthan’s overall form has dipped. The Royals are struggling in the second half of the season. No clear timeline has been given for Samson’s return, but the franchise hopes he can recover soon with continued medical attention.
“I have no time-line to give as to when exactly he will be fit, but we’re trying our best, you know, obviously we’ve got to play here, after this we’ve got a game on (April) 27th and we’ve got a few games quickly and then we’ve got a gap,” Dravid said.
Rajasthan next play on April 27, with a tight schedule ahead. A win on Thursday could revive Rajasthan’s playoff hopes and inject much-needed momentum into their campaign heading into the business end.
