[WATCH] IPL 2025: Rift rumours erupt as Sanju Samson skips Rahul Dravid-led team huddle before Super Over

Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson looked unhappy before the start of the Super Over against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL 2025. Notably, the Delhi Capitals registered their fifth win of the IPL 2025 against RR in a dramatic contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 16.

It was RR's turn to bat first in one-over shootout since they were chasing before. The Rajasthan-based franchise was set a target of 189 but they ended up levelling the scores to take the game into a Super Over. Later, RR's coaches Rahul Dravid and Sairaj Bahutule were seen having a conversation with the other players for deciding the playing combination. However, skipper Samson, who was near the huddle, did not engage in the conversation.

A video went viral on social media where a player could be heard calling Samson from behind, but the Royals captain chose to walk away. These antics have sparked speculations of a possible rift between the  RR management and the captain. Meanwhile, Samson was retired hurt during the match after scoring 31 off 19, including two boundaries and three sixes. 

Watch the video here:

Nikhil 🇮🇳@yoursnikhilonly

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💔 x.com/pantiyerfc/sta…

Delhi Capitals Fan@pantiyerfc

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. https://t.co/688ji3MXrS

04:54 PM · Apr 17, 2025

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There were also questions around Royals' choice of players for the Super Over as they sent out Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag, with Yashasvi Jaiswal as the third batter - all three over Nitish Rana, who had scored 51 off 28 on the night. RR eventually lost the Super Over as they scored just 10 runs, which was successfully chased down by KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs. 

DC skipper Axar Patel expressed surprise on RR's choice. "Hetmyer wasn't able to connect in the match either. So I felt Jaiswal and Riyan would come out. But it worked out well for us, whoever they sent out," he said after the game. However, Rana defended his team's decision, terming it a correct one.

"The team management, the captain, and senior players decide it and I think it was a correct decision. Had Hetmyer hit two sixes, this question would not have been there. Hetmyer is our finisher and he has delivered for us in the past," Rana said at the post-match press conference. 

"I think we were one big shot short. We were targeting 15 runs in the Super Over because we know if you have 15 runs and you get one wicket, there's a chance because then the batting team is under pressure. I think credit goes to Starc. We saw this type of death bowling in the IPL after a long time."