Sanju Samson, captain of the Rajasthan Royals, found himself in the spotlight after an intense IPL 2025 match against the Delhi Capitals. He had played a quick knock of 31 runs from 19 balls but had to retire hurt during the innings. The match ended in a tie, with both teams scoring 188 runs, pushing the game into a Super Over.
Surprisingly, Rajasthan Royals did not include the in-form Nitish Rana, who had scored 51 off 28 balls. Instead, they chose Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, and Riyan Parag for the Super Over, which didn’t go well as RR managed only 11 runs and lost two wickets through run-outs.
Viral Video Hints at Possible Rift
A video circulating on social media has added fuel to speculation. In the clip, the RR senior management, including head coach Rahul Dravid and Sairaj Bahutule, can be seen in a team huddle before the Super Over. Sanju Samson is visible nearby but does not engage with anyone. A player attempts to speak to him, but he simply walks away. This has led to various interpretations among fans.
“I knew there was definitely a rift within the setup when there were absolutely no discussions or chat in the dugout before the super over. Everyone was standing quite in a circle in the dugout. Look at Sanju’s hand signal in the first video, he is deliberately ignoring everyone.” Another post questioned the overall team spirit, asking, “Is this the reason why their players never celebrate a wicket, especially those Hetmyer catches on the boundary?”
The video and such observations have led fans to believe that tensions within the team may have begun during the auction, particularly due to RR’s decision to let go of Jos Buttler. “I don’t think Sanju was happy with the decision of letting Butler go. At least Sanju would have said a word or two facing him instead of showing a hand gesture while walking away.”
Nitish Rana’s Statement on Team Decisions
After the match, Nitish Rana addressed the media about his exclusion from the Super Over. He made it clear that the decisions were not made by one individual. “This is never the decision of one person. It’s always the management and the support staff, as they can discuss and take a decision on these things. I feel that if this result was in our favour, then the question would have been different.”
He continued, “So, this game of cricket is a result-oriented game. Management is the one who decides. There are two senior players and the captain. I think, that decision was right. If Hetmyer had hit two sixes, you wouldn’t have asked the same question. Hetmyer is our finisher. Everyone knows this, and he has delivered in the past. There are a lot of things that we could have squeezed a little more, and the tied game from that one run shouldn’t have happened. But this is the result.”
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