3 RR players in IPL 2025 who were earlier in DC ft. Sanju Samson

Delhi Capitals (DC) host Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 32nd match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday, April 16.

DC are placed second in the league table with eight points to their name, whereas RR have struggled so far, and are eighth with just four points. DC's recent showings have made them firm favourites for the title this year.

RR, who have not won any silverware since their win in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, will be desperate to get their hands on the trophy again. They need to start with this game against DC and gain some momentum.

Interestingly, several current RR players have played for DC in the past. This is bound to give them an inside advantage as they know fairly well how the latter franchise operates and how their management thinks.

In this listicle, we take a look at three RR players who were earlier in DC:

#3 Tushar Deshpande

Seamer Tushar Deshpande is one of the few current RR players who have plied their trade for DC in the past. The Mumbai medium-pacer, who was signed by RR in the 2024 mega auction, turned out for DC in just five matches in the 2020 season. He could only pick up three wickets in that campaign.

While he did not feature in the IPL in 2021, Deshpande was signed by Chennai Super Kings in 2022. He spent three seasons at the Chepauk before landing in Jaipur. This year, he has picked up five wickets in as many games so far, bowling at an expensive economy rate of 11.33.

Overall, Deshpande's statistics in the IPL make for good reading, as he has picked up 47 wickets in 41 matches so far. His average is 30.62, and his economy rate is 9.82. Unbeknownst to many, Deshpande has also played in two T20Is for India, against Zimbabwe in Harare in July 2024.

#2 Shimron Hetmyer

Star batter Shimron Hetmyer is another player on this list who has played for DC in the past. While he started his IPL career with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019, he was soon picked up by DC in 2020. He spent two seasons at the Feroz Shah Kotla, with his best coming in the 2021 season.

In that campaign, Hetmyer scored 242 runs in 14 matches at an average of 34.57 and a strike rate of 168.05. The power hitter was picked up by RR ahead of the 2022 edition of the tournament, and has become a constant fixture in their playing XI since. This season, he has scored 149 runs in six matches so far.

Hetmyer scored just 113 runs in IPL 2024 at an average of 22.60, but his high strike rate of 163.76 convinced the franchise to retain him ahead of the mega auction. The Guyana native has played for three franchises in the IPL and boasts an extremely impressive strike rate of 152.79.

#1 Sanju Samson

RR captain Sanju Samson, the poster boy of the franchise, turned out for DC for two seasons (2016 and 2017). Although he began his IPL career with RR in 2013, he had to look for other teams as the franchise got banned for two years in 2016.

DC came calling, and Samson did not disappoint. In 2016, he scored 291 runs in 14 matches and followed it up with 386 runs the next season (playing the same number of matches). However, after RR returned to the fold in 2018, Samson was back, and has stayed with them ever since.

The 30-year-old has scored 193 runs in six matches so far this season with an average of 32.16 and a strike rate of 140.87. Samson has reinvented himself of late as an aggressive opener, and goes after the seamers from ball one. His unique back-and-away trigger movement and free bat swing have been known to put several bowlers off their rhythm.