Sanju Samson makes big sacrifice for Vaibhav Suryavanshi, demotes himself in RR line-up

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson made a stunning move in his return to the IPL 2025. After missing several games due to injury, Sanju Samson was expected to resume as an opener in the big match against Punjab Kings on May 18 in Jaipur.

Despite being fit and eager to return, the Rajasthan Royals captain decided to bat lower down the order against the Punjab Kings at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday, just to let the 14-year-old sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi continue his dream run at the top of the batting order.

Sanju Samson gives up the opening slot for Vaibhav Suryavanshi

The RR captain said that Vaibhav Suryavanshi had earned the opening spot through his unbelievable performances in his absence, so he must respect that. Samson said at the toss, “I think if someone has done something extraordinary, you have to respect that no matter his age. Definitely would like to respect that, and I will come down the order.”

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Meanwhile, Vaibhav Suryavanshi grabbed headlines across the world when he smashed a 35-ball century against the Gujarat Titans earlier in the tournament. That knock made him the youngest player ever to score a hundred in T20 cricket, emerging as one of the biggest stars of IPL 2025.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi fails to keep momentum

The youngster was only brought in after Sanju Samson suffered an injury against the Delhi Capitals. And then Vaibhav owned the stage. However, Suryavanshi’s dream IPL run has hit a rough patch, with low scores in his last two games, including a duck against the Mumbai Indians.

But Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson is backing the 14-year-old to bounce back, giving him full confidence by keeping him as the opener. With the Royals out of the IPL 2025 playoff race, their ongoing clash against Punjab Kings may not impact the table, but it’s big for the team’s future.

Sanju Samson, now back from injury and leading again, replaced Nitish Rana in the XI and took over from Riyan Parag as captain. Now, they would be hoping to end their season on a positive note.

Read Also: Revealed: Who is captaining Punjab Kings in Shreyas Iyer's absence vs Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025?

PBKS created history in Jaipur against RR

Speaking about the match, Nehal Wadhera (70 runs off 37 balls) and Shashank Singh’s (59* runs off 30 balls) stunning fifties helped Punjab Kings to post 219/5 on the board against the hosts in Jaipur. Captain Shreyas Iyer contributed 30 runs, while Azmatullah Omarzai made an unbeaten 21.

PBKS created history with their middle-order brilliance, as batters from No. 4 to 7 combined to score 180 runs—the highest ever by a middle-order in an IPL innings. They broke the previous record of 174 set by the Mumbai Indians against the RCB in 2020.

For Rajasthan, Tushar Deshpande was the standout bowler, taking two wickets while conceding 37 runs in his four overs against the PBKS.

During the innings break, Nehal Wadhera said, “It was wonderful batting there today. I think Shreyas bhai and I both played well together. I think 220 is a very good score on this wicket."