Rajasthan Royals (RR) have signed South African pacer Nandre Burger as an injury replacement for Sandeep Sharma, who was earlier ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
Sandeep sustained a finger injury while attempting to stop a powerful shot from Shubman Gill off his own bowling during RR’s match against Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on April 28.
The right-arm pacer completed the final eight deliveries of his spell in the match. Later, Sandeep underwent scans, which confirmed a fracture and ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Notably, the 31-year-old Sandeep played the first 10 matches of IPL 2025 for the Royals and picked up nine wickets at an average of just over 40.
Meanwhile, feft-arm pacer Nandre Burger has represented South Africa in all three formats of international cricket. He has played 69 T20s in his career, picking up 77 wickets.
The 29-year-old Burger has previously played for RR in IPL 2024, where he picked up seven wickets from six games. He has joined RR for Rs 3.5 crore.
Lhuan-Dre Pretorius Replaces Nitish Rana At Rajasthan Royals For IPL 2025
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals have signed South African left-handed batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius as a replacement for Nitish Rana, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season due to a calf injury.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who was the top scorer at the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2024, will join RR for INR 30 lakh.
Notably, Rana has been one of the best batters for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025, having scored 217 runs in 11 matches at an average of 21.70. His tally for the season includes two half-centuries – a match-winning 81 off 36 balls against Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati and a 51 off 28 against Delhi Capitals in Delhi.
Rajasthan Royals, who have already been eliminated from IPL 2025 playoffs race, have two matches left to play in the league stage. They will face CSK in Chennai on May 12 before returning home to Jaipur to host Punjab Kings at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium for their final game of the season.
