IPL 2025: Why Sandeep Sharma is Not Playing Today’s RR vs MI Match?

The 50th match of IPL 2025 is underway between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. This is a must-win game for the Royals, who are on the verge of getting knocked out of the tournament.

Ahead of the match, Rajasthan Royals suffered a big blow as their experienced pacer Sandeep Sharma has been ruled out for the rest of the season. He has fractured his finger and is not available for today’s clash against Mumbai Indians or any of the remaining matches.

This comes as a huge setback for the Royals, who have been struggling with their bowling combinations throughout the season. Sandeep, known for his powerplay spells and death-over control, was expected to play a big role in this crucial fixture.

At the toss, Rajasthan Royals’ stand-in captain Riyan Parag won the toss and opted to bat first. However, the absence of Sandeep Sharma has forced them to make changes in their bowling unit.

Here are the playing XIs and substitutes for today’s game:

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (w), Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton (w), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah

Impact Subs:

• Mumbai Indians: Raj Bawa, Satyanarayana Raju, Robin Minz, Reece Topley, Karn Sharma
• Rajasthan Royals: Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Kunal Singh Rathore, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kwena Maphaka

Rajasthan will now have to find a way to manage their bowling without Sandeep Sharma as they try to stay alive in the IPL 2025 playoff race.