[Watch] RR teammates Trent Boult and Jos Buttler sing Robbie Williams song 

Rajasthan Royals (RR) have begun their IPL 2023 campaign on a mixed note. They opened with a thumping 72-run victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 2.

Openers Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal set the tone with a blistering 85-run partnership inside the powerplay as the Royals finished with a massive 203-5 in 20 overs. With the ball, New Zealand left-arm pacer Trent Boult picked up two wickets in the first over of the innings to derail SRH and help RR win by a substantial margin.

However, the Royals were immediately brought down to earth by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their home opener in Guwahati on April 5. Winning the toss and bowling first, the RR bowlers were erratic, conceding 197 in their 20 overs.

They were in all sorts of trouble at 124-5 in 15 overs before a terrific assault by Shimron Hetmeyer and newcomer Dhruv Jurel brought some interest back into the match. However, the pair were left with too much to do as the Royals fell short of the target by five runs.

They remain in Guwahati, where they will play the Delhi Capitals on April 8.

With time off between matches, Jos Buttler and Trent Boult were seen singing 'Angels' in a video shared by the franchise on their social media handles.

Buttler was seen running off the field after taking a catch in the latter stages of the Punjab batting innings with a minor injury to his hand. He did not open the innings, coming in at No. 3 instead, and appeared to be struggling with pain during his short stay at the crease.

The Royals will hope the 2022 Orange Cap winner is fit and ready to go against the Capitals on Saturday.

"He never seems to be fussed by anything" - AB de Villiers on RR captain Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson will hope for an impressive tournament with the bat to reclaim his place in the Indian team.

Former South African batsman AB de Villiers recently praised Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson for his exceptional batting and captaincy. Samson, who became RR captain in 2021, led the team to their first IPL final a year ago.

Samson has been one of the most prolific run scorers in the IPL over the past few years, crossing the 400-run mark in the last two seasons. The 28-year-old has also averaged over 70 for Team India in ODIs this past year.

Speaking to Jio Cinema, De Villiers said of Samson:

"Sanju Samson, we all know, is an incredible player, but what’s his captaincy like? I think the first thing that comes to mind for me is his composure. Calm, relaxed kind of guy. He never seems to be fussed by anything, which is a very good sign as a captain."

De Villiers feels Samson can improve further in the presence of Jos Buttler and even captain India down the line.

"Strategically I think he’s pretty sound. I think he can still improve and will still improve over time as he gets more experience and spends more time with someone like Jos Buttler, which is a fantastic asset for him to have in his ear all the time."

"Who knows, possibly even one day in a year or two or three’s time, in one of the formats in the India team, he could very easily be the captain there, and I think it will do his cricket the world of good."