Rajasthan Royals issue big statement on star keeper after Sanju Samson requests his release

Rajasthan Royals (RR) congratulated young wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel on social media after he was named captain of the Central Zone for the Duleep Trophy. This came shortly after reports surfaced that their current IPL captain, Sanju Samson, had requested to leave the franchise ahead of the 2026 auction.

The Duleep Trophy has returned to its traditional zonal format after a previous season featuring four teams selected by the senior men's committee led by Ajit Agarkar. This year, the teams are picked by zonal committees, each including representatives from the state teams within the respective zones.

Dhruv Jurel Named Captain of Central Zone for Upcoming Duleep Trophy

Dhruv Jurel has been named captain of the Central Zone team for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. The selectors have shown faith in him following an impressive year.

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The 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batter was part of India's squad during the Anderson-Tendulkar Test series against England, which ended in a 2-2 draw. He replaced the injured Rishabh Pant in the final Test. It is worth mentioning that he also kept wickets in the third and fourth Tests after Pant’s injury.

The Central Zone squad will kick off their Duleep Trophy campaign against North East on August 28 at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Rajat Patidar has been appointed as Jurel’s deputy.

Rajasthan Royals Congratulate Dhruv Jurel Amid Sanju Samson Trade Reports

Rajasthan Royals congratulated Dhruv Jurel after his appointment as captain of the Central Zone. The social media post grabbed attention because it came less than 12 hours after reports surfaced that Sanju Samson had asked to be released or traded ahead of the 2026 auction.

"Ek hoga jo stumps ke peeche se game badal dega (There will be someone who can change the game behind the stumps)," the Royals wrote.

Ek hoga jo stumps ke peeche se game badal dega 🔥 pic.twitter.com/P5cK4hX5mf

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) August 8, 2025

The Royals have not officially responded to the reports about Samson, and their tweet made no direct reference to his situation. However, the timing of the post has raised eyebrows, highlighting underlying tension within the team.

Samson requested to leave the franchise after disagreements over his batting position. Although he usually opens in T20 matches, including for India, Rajasthan Royals had Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal opening last season following Samson’s injury.

Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed Part of Dhruv Jurel-Led Central Zone Squad

Kuldeep Yadav, who was part of India’s squad during the England tour, will lead the spin bowling attack. Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar will also be part of the spin unit. Dubey recently set a Ranji Trophy record by taking 69 wickets in a single season.

The pace attack will be led by Khaleel Ahmed, who had a brief stint with Essex. Deepak Chahar, who has recovered from an IPL injury, will join the team.

Vidarbha’s Yash Rathod, the highest run-scorer in the last Ranji season with 960 runs, will be part of the batting lineup. Danish Malewar, who played a crucial role in Vidarbha’s Ranji final victory, is also in the squad. The team’s coach, Usman Ghani, led Vidarbha during their successful campaign.

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