Sanju Samson led the Rajasthan Royals to a memorable seven-wicket victory over the Lucknow Super Giants in a crucial Indian Premier League match at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday.
Samson produced an unbeaten 71 from 33 balls with seven fours and four sixes in an unbeaten stand of 121 with impact player Dhruv Jurel as the Royals ended on 199 for three in reply to Lucknow’s 196 for five after Samson had won the toss and elected to bat first.
🎥 Left handed Sanju Samson 🔁#RR skipper switching on gears with that switch hit 🩷 🔥
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 27, 2024
Watch the match LIVE on @StarSportsIndia and @JioCinema 💻📱#TATAIPL | #LSGvRR | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/IaSCJse7tx
Jaiswal struck three fours and a six from 18 balls before being caught on the fence by Ravi Bishnoi from the bowling of Marcus Stoinis (1-0-3-1). Buttler, who struck four boundaries and a six from 18 balls, was clean-bowled around his legs by Yash Thakur (4-0-50-1).
Despite the loss of the openers, Samson and Riyan Pirag (14), impact player for Yuzvendra Chahal, carried on with the initial momentum. However, impact player Amit Mishra (2-0-20-1), in for Quinton de Kock, had Prag caught by Ayush on the fence to open up a small gate.
𝗦𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝘀𝗼𝗻 💪
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The #RR skipper ensuring his team get over the line in Lucknow 🩷#TATAIPL | #LSGvRR | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/7syPfrSuFR
The gate was quickly shut as Samson and Jurel, who struck five fours and two sixes from 34 balls from his unbeaten 52, went about their business with consummate ease to chase down the total with six balls to spare.
Earlier, KL Rahul struck eight fours and two sixes from 48 balls to help his side close in on the 200-run mark. Rahul, who scored 76, shared in a 115-run stand for the third wicket with Deepak Hooda (50) after the early loss of De Kock (8) and Stoinis (0).
Composing & Attractive half-centuries by the #RR batters 😍
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 27, 2024
Dhruv Jurel 🤝 Sanju Samson
Closing in another win👌
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De Kock struck two boundaries before being bowled by Trent Boult (4-0-41-1) with the third ball of the innings. Stoinis lasted just four deliveries before being castled by Sandeep Sharma (4-0-31-2) to leave the home side on 11 for two at the end of the second over.
Rahul and Hooda set about restoring order and giving the Lucknow faithful something to cheer about but once Hooda departed, caught on the long on fence by Rovman Powell from the bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin (4-0-39-1), Rahul fell shortly thereafter.
Rahul was caught on the deep backward point fence by Boult from the bowling of Avesh Khan (4-0-42-1) but Ayush Badoni (18 not out) and Krunal Pandya (15 not out) managed 23 unbeaten runs for the sixth wicket from 16 balls to get their side close to the 200-run mark.
The win moves the Royals six points clear of the Kolkata Knight Riders, who have a game in hand while the Super Giants remain level with the Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals on 10 points, although KKR and Sunrisers have a game in hand while the Capitals have played a game more.
TEAMS
Lucknow Super Giants – Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (capt & wk), Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Matt Henry, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Rajasthan Royals – Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (capt & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yash Thakur.