Sanju Samson, captain of the Rajasthan Royals, appeared visibly discontent before the start of the Super Over against Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2025 clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 16. What followed was a nail-biting finish that ultimately saw DC register their fifth win of the season. But the drama off the field seemed to overshadow the action on it, raising eyebrows over possible cracks within the RR camp.
After a spirited chase that saw Rajasthan Royals level Delhi’s target of 189, the match headed into a Super Over. As per the rules, RR batted first. However, just before the shootout began, a peculiar moment caught fans’ attention — a video surfaced online showing Samson walking away from a team discussion, seemingly disengaged while coaches Rahul Dravid and Sairaj Bahutule huddled with the players.
One of the players could even be heard calling out to Samson, but the captain ignored it and walked away. The incident has triggered speculation about a possible disconnect between the RR management and their skipper.
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During the match, Samson had earlier retired hurt after a quickfire 31 off 19 balls, laced with two fours and three sixes. With him unavailable for the Super Over, RR surprised many by sending out Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag, with Yashasvi Jaiswal listed as the backup. What raised further questions was the exclusion of Nitish Rana, the top scorer for RR that night with a blistering 51 off 28 deliveries.
Nothing is going right in RR.
Now let’s be honest and admit Drovid never liked Sanju and didn’t take any inputs from him in retentions. I believe he never takes his inputs for playing XI. You can simply see how Sanju is also not interested. The energy and vibe is gone from RR💔 https://t.co/mNYzaQU7Wz
— Nikhil 🇮🇳 (@yoursnikhilonly) April 17, 2025
Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel admitted to being puzzled by RR’s selection. “Hetmyer wasn’t timing the ball well during the match, so I expected Jaiswal and Riyan. But it worked out for us in the end,” he said. Rajasthan’s decision didn’t pay off — they managed only 10 runs in the Super Over, which DC chased down with ease thanks to KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs.
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Rana, however, stood by the team’s strategy. “It was a collective decision involving the captain, coaches, and senior players. Hetmyer is our designated finisher. If he had hit two sixes, no one would question it,” he said at the post-match press conference.
Reflecting on the close finish, Rana added, “We were targeting 15 in the Super Over. One big hit could’ve made the difference. Credit to Mitchell Starc — it was high-quality death bowling, something we haven’t seen in a while.”
