New Delhi, March 18 (HS): Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson, who underwent finger surgery last month, has joined the team on Monday. Samson was undergoing rehabilitation at the Center of Excellence in Bengaluru. However, it has not been confirmed whether he will do wicketkeeping immediately or not. If Samson is not fully fit, Dhruv Jurel may take on the wicketkeeper role.

Jurel did wicketkeeping in Samson’s absence during the fifth T20 match against England in February. In that match, a fast ball from Jofra Archer hit Samson’s finger, which caused him to leave the field.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Riyan Parag has also fully recovered from his shoulder injury and is ready to play for Rajasthan Royals. He missed the T20 series against South Africa and England due to the injury but made a comeback in the second phase of the Ranji Trophy, scoring a half-century in the first innings against Saurashtra and bowling 26 overs.

Rajasthan Royals will play their first match on March 23 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad. After that, the team will have two consecutive home matches—against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 and Chennai Super Kings on March 30, both matches will be held in Guwahati.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar