Sanju Samson led from the front with an unbeaten 82 from 52 balls as Rajasthan Royals opened their IPL campaign with a hard-earned 20-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur. Sanju Samson has excelled in opening games for Rajasthan Royals since 2020, registering scores of 74, 119, 55 and 55. Extending that streak, he came up with a well-compiled 82 off 52, with three fours and six sixes, to set up Royals’ 20-run victory against Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur on Sunday
Sanju Samson’s knock and a handy 43 from Riyan Parag helped Royals to 193/4 after opting to bat on a wicket where it wasn’t all that easy to play the shots. KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran struck half-centuries in the chase but Royals picked up timely wickets to ensure that the target was beyond Super Giants’ reach.
Pitch and Toss
We have a 62m and a 70m square boundary, the straight boundary is at 79m. The pitch looks brown and doesn’t have a lot of grass on it. The cracks are moving which suggests that it’s very dry. Spinners will play a big role, it’s important to get off to a good start in the first 6 overs, reckon Samuel Badree and Matthew Hayden, in their pitch report.
Sanju Samson won the toss and choose to bat . RR included Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer and Jos Buttler in their side while Rovman Powell and Nandre Burger were the impact sub for them
KL Rahul who was bowling first had the services of Marcus Stoinis , Quinton De Cock , Nicholas Pooran and Naveen ul Haq as his overseas option while Deepak Hooda was the impact sub.
Positive start from RR but openers depart early.
On a dry pitch which didn’t offer much bounce, Yashaswi Jaiswal struggled a bit against Mohsin Khan in the first over while Jos Buttler managed to squeeze away a couple of boundaries off Naveen-ul-Haq. But Buttler’s stay ended in the same over when he got an outside edge looking to drive and KL Rahul took a good catch behind the stumps.
Jaiswal then cracked a flurry of boundaries while Sanju Samson also got into the act as Mohsin was proving to be expensive. He was also hit for a six each by Sanju Samson and Jaiswal in the fifth over but he had some respite as he cramped the left-hander for room to have him caught on a pull. Parag had a lucky break as he got a leading edge but Krunal Pandya couldn’t get to the ball with Sanju Samson in his path at the non-striker’s end.
Sanju Samson saves his best for first
Royals managed 54 in the powerplay but the innings slowed down as the field spread, with Krunal and Ravi Bishnoi sneaking in some quiet overs. When there was a little bit of pace offered, in the form of Yash Thakur, Parag and Sanju Samson quickly cashed in as they employed the pull for three sixes in a 21-run ninth over.
Parag and Samson also took on Bishnoi, choosing the straighter boundaries this time for two more maximums to help Royals past 100 in the 11th over. Parag got another reprieve as Mohsin grassed the opportunity when the batter got a top edge off a sweep. Sanju Samson got a 33-ball fifty and both batters also kept the boundaries coming regularly, extending their partnership to 93 before Parag top-edged a pull off Naveen.
Sanju Samson certainly knows how to launch an IPL campaign in style. For the fifth consecutive IPL campaign, dating back to 2020, he opened Royals’ account with a half-century, this time in an innings featuring three fours and six sixes, the best of which – from the penultimate ball of the innings – was a formidable inside-out drill over extra cover from Mohsin Khan.
The bulk of Sanju Samson’s work was done in the course of a 93-run stand with Riyan Parag, that spanned 62 balls and bridged a potentially tricky period at the end of the powerplay, in which Jos Buttler’s streaky 11 from nine balls, and Yashaswi Jaiswal’s more focused cameo of 24 from 12, had telegraphed a potentially tricky pitch for comfortable strokeplay.
LSG fight but RR finish well with 193 for 4
Certainly, LSG’s spinners found some purchase on the cracked, dry surface. Krunal Pandya, on his 33rd birthday, wheeled through his four boundary-less overs for 19, and could have dismissed Parag for a golden duck when he induced a leading edge back down the pitch, only for Samson at the non-striker’s end to get in the way, completely inadvertently, as he stood his ground with the ball lobbing towards his helmet.
Both men, however, stepped up their intensity after the strategic time-out, when the extra pace of Yash Thakur entered the fray. Three sixes poured forth in a 21-run over, including back-to-back pulls from Samson off undercooked bouncers, and after bringing up Royals’ 100 with another six off Ravi Bishnoi in the 11th over, Samson marched onto his fifty from 33 balls – by which stage Parag should have been removed for 29, only for Mohsin at square leg to make a hash of a top-edged sweep.
Ayush Badoni bowled an economical 16th over which was followed by another good over from Bishnoi who dismissed Shimron Hetmyer caught-behind and almost had the wicket of Dhruv Jurel, who just about cleared the ropes despite a good effort from Naveen at long-on. Samson ended the 18th over with a straight six off Thakur, who had otherwise kept it tight for most of the over.
Naveen did a tidy job in the 19th over, conceding only eight runs and was unfortunate not to pick up the wicket of Dhruv Jurel as Devdutt Padikkal put down a catch running in towards mid off. Jurel and Samson ensured a good finish, striking a four and a six respectively off Mohsin as 14 came in the final over taking RR score to 193 for 4 after 20 overs.
Lightning Boult strikes twice as LSG has a tottering start.
Trent Boult and first-over wickets are a staple of the IPL experience. This time, it was Quinton de Kock in his sights at the top of the powerplay, his 24th such victim – second only to Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 27 – and it set in motion a catastrophic top-order implosion for LSG. De Kock’s only scoring shot was a classy punch down the ground to a full-length outswinger, but when Boult fired one into his legs in the same over, he lured a loose flick in the air to Burger at backward fine leg.
Two balls into his second, Boult struck again, delivering a merciless one-two to Devdutt Padikkal, to ensure his reunion with his former Royals team-mates was a miserable one. A sharp bouncer pinged Padikkal’s helmet and sent his neck-guard spinning; Boult’s follow-up skidded through low and pegged back his middle and leg stumps as he flapped loosely across the line from deep in the crease.
And LSG reached their nadir one ball into the fourth over, as Burger – the most literal impact sub imaginable – fired down a 147kph delivery that Ayush Badoni could only spoon to Buttler at mid-off. At 11 for 3, the fightback would have to be a remarkable one.
Trent Boult has been doing it for years, and it came as no surprise when he delivered early strikes to strengthen Royals’ hold over the game. Quinton de Kock whipped one off his pads straight to the fielder as Boult extended his tally of wickets in the opening over in the IPL to 23. For the record, no other bowler has taken more than eight in this period.
LSG’s debutant Padikkal, having been hit on the grille of his helmet by Boult, was bowled off the next ball. Royals used only three overseas batters in their first innings, giving them the opportunity to bring in the fourth as an impact player. And he made an impact straightaway as IPL debutant Nandre Burger had Badoni caught at mid off. Super Giants, however, managed to recover from those blows as impact player Deepak Hooda and ‘opener’ KL Rahul struck some much-needed hits to the fence.
KL Rahul’s role in the spotlight
It’s a tricky time for Rahul across formats. In the absence of Virat Kohli, he had looked set to be the wise old head in India’s Test team, until his untimely injury against England opened the door for the same generation of young guns who are pushing him to the fringes in the white-ball set-up too.
And so, his innings of 58 from 44 balls was an important reminder of his enduring class, albeit his dismissal at the start of the 17th over, caught at deep cover moments after the strategic time-out, effectively spelt the end of LSG’s challenge, with first Marcus Stoinis and then Pandya unable to find their timing from the get-go. The fact that he took the gloves, ahead of both Quinton de Kock and Pooran, was arguably a sign of his desire to remind the India selectors of his enduring versatility.
Either way, while it lasted, Rahul’s knock provided, first, the stability his team so desperately needed, and latterly the power to stay in touch with a run rate that was pushing two a ball by the tenth over. His own contribution at that point had been a run-a-ball 26, but in crashing the dangerous Burger for 6, 4, 4 from his next three deliveries, he rushed towards a 35-ball fifty, and signaled a charge that would not fizzle until his departure.
Deepak Hooda, LSG’s impact sub, has come and gone with a degree of purpose too, making 26 from 13 balls before taking on Yuzvendra Chahal, into the breeze, and holing out at deep midwicket. But it took Pooran’s more focused power to truly ignite his team’s belief. Hooda’s outing came to an end in Yuzvendra Chahal’s first over but Super Giants remained in the hunt thanks to Rahul and Pooran who ensured some big overs from their team’s perspective.
Rahul struck a six and two fours in the 11th over off Burger which yielded 17 runs. Pooran took on the New Zealand left-armer, hitting two sixes and a four in a 20-run 13th over. But a couple of tidy overs from R Ashwin and Sandeep Sharma left Super Giants needing 60 to score off the last five overs.
RR prevail despite Nicholas Pooran fifty
At 102 for 4 in the 12th over, Boult returned for his final over as Royals strove for the partnership-breaking wicket. Pooran was waiting to take him down in a 20-run over that finished with a low full-toss being smashed over wide long-on for six.
Sandeep, however, was still lurking up Samson’s sleeve, and his introduction proved pivotal. His first over, in the 15th of the innings, stemmed the flow of boundaries with just five singles, one of which could have been a direct-hit run-out. And when, in his second, Rahul chased his wide line to pick out Dhruv Jurel in the deep, Royals had seized back control.
Pooran struck a six off Chahal in the 16th over but the 85-run fifth wicket stand ended in the next over as Rahul miscued one to sweeper cover to depart for a 44-ball 58. Pooran got to a 30-ball fifty with a four in the same over but the pressure was on Super Giants, with them needing 42 off the last four. Ashwin made a key incision in the 18th over getting Marcus Stoinis caught at deep mid wicket and conceded only four runs, leaving LSG with 38 to get off 12 deliveries.
Pooran was reprieved as Parag, who came running in from long on, put in the dive but couldn’t hold on to the ball. The West Indian responded with two fours but Royals still had the upper hand with Super Giants needing 27 from the last over. Avesh did a good job of defending it, keeping it full and away from the hitting arc of Pooran to ensure a victory for Royals.
Presentations and Road Ahead
KL Rahul the loosing captain said :
“Bowled well in patches. The target wasn’t a lot. We made a few mistakes. Good to see Mohsin back. Naveen has been crucial for us. We will learn from the mistakes. We need to find ways to win games of cricket. Langer has bought a lot of calmness to the group. We enjoy having him around. Missing a season was really painful,”
Sanju Samson Man of the Match and the winning captain said :
“Always great fun to spend time in the middle. Becomes more special when you win the game. This time I’ve been given different kind of role with slightly different combination we have. Sanga has given me some suggestions to follow. I’ve been playing IPL for 10 years – there has to be some experience coming in. I feel I need to spend more time and understand conditions,”
“Playing international ODIs also helped me. It’s all about understanding your strengths and weaknesses. I’m a batsman who just reacts to the ball – no matter the first ball or the last ball. I should give this trophy to him (Sandeep). If he didn’t bowl those three overs, I wouldn’t be POTM. I thought I should call him. I heard Ash bhai say it’s not just about skill but character in pressure moments. He has that in his eyes, in his body language that you can trust that guy,”
Take a bow, Sandeep Sharma! Entrusted with the responsibility of bowling at the death, he emerged as the trump card for Royals to help them start their campaign with a win. He’s the first person Samson goes to and gives him a hug. The captain batted beautifully himself earlier in the day, smashing 82 off just 52 balls and took RR to a big score of 193. However, things seemed to be slipping away from them when KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran were at the crease.
Despite a terrible start to the chase as the top order was dismantled by Boult and Burger, LSG managed to launch a brilliant recovery and they were right on top with 65 needed off the last six overs, with Rahul and Pooran at the crease. It was then that Sandeep was introduced in the attack, and he turned the balance completely with an outstanding spell.
Might’ve only got one wicket, but the way he executed his plans under pressure was a treat to watch. He showed everyone exactly why he’s been chosen to bowl those difficult overs, and why the management has put so much faith in him. Royals had lost four and won just one match at their home venue last year.
They’ll hope things are different this time, and it’s a good start in that regard. Don’t be fooled by the margin of 20 runs, this match was much closer than that and it was Sandeep Sharma’s brilliant spell at the death that sealed the deal for Royals. He was assigned the role of bowling the difficult overs, and was introduced in the attack as late as the 15th over. From there, he turned the game around with some lovely execution under pressure.
Rajasthan Royals will stay back in Jaipur as they face Delhi Capitals in their second home game on March 28. Lucknow Super Giants have a break of five days before their home match against Punjab Kings on March 30.