Sanju Samson And...? 3 IPL Icons Who Could Play As Impact Sub In Upcoming Edition

Abhinav Tyagi

Sanju Samson - (Source:@Johns/X.com)Sanju Samson - (Source:@Johns/X.com)

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IPL 2025 kickstarts on March 22 with defending Champions Kolkata Knight Riders taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the curtain-raiser match. It is a highly anticipated season with players sweating hard in the nets. 

Further, the management is also sweating hard on players' fitness and particularly, the marquee players, who are key for a franchise from both cricket and commercial point of view.

At present, most of the teams are struggling with one of two injury concerns and hoping for a turnaround of things to see their star players back in action. However, IPL's impact player rule has come as a delight for the franchise as it allows semi-fit stars to also take part in the action and be a part of the playing XI. 

Meanwhile, this article will shed light on three marquee players who can play as impact players in IPL 2025.

1. Sanju Samson

On Thursday, March 20, Rajasthan Royals dropped a bombshell on the fans as their regular skipper, Sanju Samson, revealed that he is yet to recover from his finger injury and would just play the first three matches as a batter.

In a video released by RR, Samson revealed that Riyan Parag will lead the side, hinting that he might be used as an impact player for the first few games. However, it is worth noting that Samson's injury is taking longer than expected to heal, and there is a chance that the Kerala-based cricketer might play most of the season as an impact sub to take care of his finger.

2. MS Dhoni

CSK have MS Dhoni, who is most likely to feature in his final edition of IPL but has been struggling with his fitness for a few years. Since the 2022 edition, Thala has had constant issues with his knee. Despite undergoing knee surgery, age is catching up on him, and the 43-year-old is struggling to keep up with IPL standards.

Nonetheless, the former CSK skipper has turned up for another IPL season for his fans, but is likely to play most of the season as an impact sub to take care of his knee and look after his fitness. 

3. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma is another option who might play as an impact sub in IPL 2025. The hitman, who is not a big fan of IPL's impact player, was forced to play as one after having a mild back stiffness against KKR in IPL 2024.

There is no hiding that IPL is a big tournament and Rohit isn't the most fittest cricketers around. Thus, to keep his workload management in check, there is a possibility that the MI opener might be used as an impact player.