RR vs LSG: Samson wins battle of wicketkeeper captains with unbeaten match-winning 71

Synopsis: With a match-winning knock, Sanju Samson edged out KL Rahul in this battle of wicket-keeper captains. Dhruv Jurel’s 32-ball 52 also crucial in RR’s successful chase

Sanju’s timely knock

There are many reasons why Rajasthan are top of the table and one of the key reasons is their superb opening pair. It’s safe to say that Yashasvi Jaiswal has regained his form while Jos Buttler is as dangerous as ever. Their 35-ball 60-run partnership put RR in a good position though they didn’t go on to make big scores themselves.

The only time Rajasthan suffered nervy moments was when they lost three wickets in the span of three overs. The dangerous Jaiswal, Buttler, and Riyan Parag were dismissed and LSG saw a glimmer of hope. RR were in a spot of bother at 78 for 3 in the ninth over after a smooth Powerplay that fetched them 60 for the loss of no wicket.

Captain Sanju Samson steered @rajasthanroyals home ✅

Watch his solid 71*(33) 🔽#TATAIPL | #LSGvRR

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 27, 2024

But then came Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel. They started a tad slow but soon accelerated. Jurel scored an unbeaten 34-ball 52 which was crucial and Samson was at his best, hitting an unbeaten 33-ball 71, even finishing things off with a six.

This game was dubbed as a battle of wicketkeeper-captains — KL Rahul and Samson — and Samson seems to have won bragging rights. If it comes down to a quality six-hitting Samson should be higher in the pecking order. Samson hit four of them on Sunday and the extra time he seemed to have made his shot-making look elegant. With their eight win in nine games Rajasthan opened up a lead of six points over second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders on the points table.

Applying brakes

Lucknow Super Giants’ all-guns-blazing approach, after being put into bat, lasted just two balls, courtesy of two boundaries hit by South African Quinton de Kock off the bowling of Trent Boult. It was then time for the bowling unit of Rajasthan Royals to have a dream start. Boult continued his first-over wicket tradition, sending the ball breezing past De Kock’s bat and flattening the off-stump.

Just Trent Boult things 🤷

Wicket in his very first over, again 🩷

Watch the match LIVE on @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia 💻📱#TATAIPL | #LSGvRR | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/tF9M2yrU6K

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 27, 2024

Sandeep Sharma was then miserly in RR’s second over before getting the prized wicket of Marcus Stoinis on the last delivery of the over with a peach of a delivery. Stoinis, who scored a century in LSG’s last match, left a gap between bat and pad and the ball whizzed past, flattening the middle stump.

With the afternoon game seeing more than 500 runs being scored, RR bowlers seemed to have ensured that this game was unlikely to be a high-scoring affair for after seven overs, they had LSG right where they wanted them, at 54-2. But the momentum shifted.

Hooda-Rahul fightback

After suffering the two early blows, LSG managed to put up a competitive total and that’s only because of the third-wicket 62-ball 115-run stand between KL Rahul (76) and Deepak Hooda (50).

Rahul was a bit tepid in the powerplay but broke free after it, smacking 21 runs off an Avesh Khan over.

KL Rahul led the #LSG innings 👍 👍

Watch his exquisite 76(48) 🔽#TATAIPL | #LSGvRR

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 27, 2024

Rahul was as flamboyant as ever with his classical strokes and was miffed at not converting his score into a hundred. His 48-ball 76 included eight fours and two sixes and was his fourth fifty of the season. He’s looking solid as ever as he looks to cement his place in India’s T20 World Cup squad later this year.

Hooda on the other hand, would be thrilled with his first big score of this season, and he played some really eye-catching strokes.

Just like the start of the match, it was RR’s bowling that came good in the death overs, as they conceded just 24 of the last three. Sandeep Sharma was undoubtedly the star of the pack, conceding just 31 runs in his four overs and picking up two wickets. Mind you, in RR’s last over which he bowled, his team was penalised for slow over rate and were allowed just four fielders outside the circle. He conceded 12 runs but judging by last-over standards, it was gold.

After his 21-run over, Avesh also fought back, conceding just seven runs in the 18th over.

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