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Rajasthan Royals, who have already bowed out of the IPL 2025 playoffs race, continue to grapple with injury concerns as they name South African pacer as a replacement for Sandeep Sharma. The experienced Indian fast bowler has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a finger injury sustained during one of RR’s recent matches.
Sandeep featured in 10 matches this season, where he managed to pick up 9 wickets. However, he struggled to contain the flow of runs, ending with an economy rate of 9.89. His absence adds to the Royals’ long list of injury setbacks, making this campaign one of their most challenging in recent years.
Rajasthan Royals announces the replacement of Sandeep Sharma
Rajasthan have roped in South African star Nandre Burger as the replacement of Sandeep. Interestingly, Burger, who played for Rajasthan in the previous season, had gone unsold during the two-day mega auction held in Jeddah late last year. The 29-year-old had entered the auction pool with a base price of INR 1.25 crore but didn’t find any buyers at the time. Now, he rejoins the same franchise for a hefty sum of INR 3.5 crore.
Burger’s previous stint with RR was a relatively promising one. In six appearances, the left-arm seamer picked up seven wickets and maintained an economy of 8.52, offering a mix of pace and bounce that could be useful in the final stages of the league.
Also READ: IPL 2025: 5 players Rajasthan Royals should release from their current squad ft. Shimron Hetmyer
Injury-plagued Royals bring in Lhuan-dre Pretorius as well
Rajasthan’s injury problems don’t end there. Just a day before announcing Burger’s signing, the franchise brought in another South African cricketer, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, as a replacement for injured top-order batter Nitish Rana. Pretorius was signed at his base price of ₹30 lakh.
With a growing list of unavailable players, the Royals will be aiming to give their bench strength a chance while also evaluating their squad depth ahead of the next season. Despite being out of the playoff picture, the franchise will be eager to end the season with some positive performances.
