Rajasthan Royals Rope In This South African Pacer As Injured Sandeep Sharma's Replacement Ahead Of CSK Clash

Sandeep Sharma will be replaced by Nandre Burger, a South African fast bowler in the Rajasthan Royals (RR) squad, for the remainder of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. For Rs 3.5 crore, he joined the 2008 winners. On Monday, April 28 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Sandeep hurt his finger while attempting to block a strong drive from Shubman Gill off his own bowling during RR's home game against Gujarat Titans (GT).

Before scans revealed a fracture, the 31-year-old pacer completed the final eight deliveries of his spell. Sandeep took nine wickets at an economy rate of 9.89 in 10 games. At the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on April 5, he picked up his best figures (4-0-21-2) this season against the Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Burger Joins RR Again

In the IPL 2024, Burger played for the Royals and took seven wickets at an economy rate of 8.52 from six games. At an economy rate of 7.73, the left-arm speedster has taken 77 wickets overall from 69 games.

Following his injury-related exclusion from the SA20 2025, Burger was replaced by Beuran Hendricks in the Johannesburg Super Kings. In addition, he has participated in two T20Is, five ODIs, and three Test matches. Since the ODI series against Afghanistan in Sharjah in September 2024, Burger has not participated in any kind of cricket.

The Royals are already out of the running for a postseason spot. With a net run rate of -0.718 and six points, RR is currently sagging at ninth place in the rankings. On Monday, May 12 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, they will play the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), captained by MS Dhoni. The Super Kings, who continue to struggle at the bottom of the tournament, have also been eliminated.

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