 "RR coach Rahul Dravid refutes rumours of rift with captain Sanju Samson: 'Sanju and I are on the same page'")
Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid has dismissed rumours of a rift with captain Sanju Samson amid the team’s forgettable run in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), in which they have lost five out of the seven matches that they have played so far. Rumours of the divide between Dravid and Samson intensified after the Royals' Super Over defeat against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.
A video clip which has gone viral on social media showed Samson strolling around while Dravid addressed a team huddle after both teams finished level on 188 runs at the end of 20 overs.
Also Read | Samson makes back-to-back DRS blunders against DC: 'Tries to do a Dhoni and fails'
Samson, who had scored 31 off 19 balls before retiring hurt, appeared to ignore the instructions being given by the batting legend in the huddle and did not walk out to bat later in the Super Over.
Dravid insists Samson ‘very integral part’ of Royals
Dravid, however, rubbished the rumours in a press conference on the eve of the Royals’ home game against Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur on Saturday.
“I don’t know where these reports are coming from. Sanju and I are on the same page,” Dravid told reporters on the eve of the match against LSG.
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More Shorts“He’s a very integral part of our team. He’s involved in each and every decision and discussion. Sometimes, when you lose games and things don’t go right, you face criticism and we can take it on our performances, but we can’t do anything about this baseless stuff.
“The spirit of the team is really good, I’m impressed with how hard these guys work. One of the things people don’t understand is how hurt the players feel when they don’t perform.”
Though not out of contention for a place in the IPL 2025 playoffs, RR find themselves in a must-win situation heading into Saturday’s match against the Super Giants, who currently sit at the fifth spot on the table with four wins and three defeats.
Another loss at this stage could make it virtually impossible for the winners of the inaugural IPL in 2008 to stage a comeback in the second half of the season.
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