IPL 2022: 3 best Sanju Samson innings in the league

Rajasthan Royals will take on the Kolkata Knight Riders in the match 30 of IPL 2022.

The Sanju Samson-led side lost their last outing against the Gujarat Titans. Kolkata also lost their last two matches against the Delhi Daredevils and SunRisers Hyderabad. Both teams are looking for wins, which will motivate the players to play better in this fixture.

Some are on the cusp of milestones, which will motivate them further. RR skipper Sanju Samson needs 49 runs to reach the 5000-run mark in T20 cricket. Samson first joined RR in 2013 and then returned for a second stint in 2018.

He has played several crucial knocks in the Indian Premier League. Let's take a look at his three best knocks in the tournament.

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#1 92*(45) - RR vs RCB in IPL 2018

Australia v India - T20 Game 3

RR returned to the Indian Premier League in 2018 after serving a two-year ban. Game number 11 turned out to be Samson's night. Up against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Virat Kohli won the toss and put RR into bat first.

Openers Ajinkya Rahane and D'Arcy Short put up a 49-run stand for the first wicket, before Samson entered the fray. He took off from the onset and delivered a 45-ball 92.

It helped RR post a mammoth total of 217 for the loss of four wickets after 20 overs. Samson hit 10 sixes in that innings. Virat Kohli and Mandeep Singh put in valiant efforts in the run chase, but RCB fell short by 19 runs.

Samson was named the man of the match.

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#2 85(42) - RR vs PBKS in IPL 2020

New Zealand v India - T20: Game 4

RR had a forgettable 2020 IPL season. They finished last in the league table but had a few good outings in the middle. In match number nine, they came up against KL Rahul's Punjab Kings.

Batting first, Punjab openers, Rahul and Mayank Agarwal put up a mammoth opening parternsip of 183. PBKS finished their innings with 223 runs on the board for the loss of two wickets.

The Royals, chasing 224, opened their innings with Jos Buttler and Steve Smith. The plan did not pay dividends as Buttler was dismissed in the third over itself. Samson walked out as a man with a mission. He went hammer and tongs after the PBKS bowling and scored 85 off 42 balls, hitting four boundaries and seven sixes. Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer and others continued the onslaught, helping RR chase down the total with three balls to spare.

It remains the highest successful run-chase in the history of the Indian Premier League. Samson won the man of the match for this award as well.

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#3 119(63) - RR vs PBKS in IPL 2021

New Zealand v India - T20: Game 4

RR faced PBKS in IPL 2021 once again in a high-scoring encounter. RR won the toss and Punjab into bat first. The Kings posted 220 on the board courtesy of good knocks from KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda and a quick cameo from Chris Gayle.

Chasing 221, RR sent out Ben Stokes and Manan Vohra to open the innings. Captain Samson played a blinder off a knock, scoring 119 off 63 balls in an otherwise insipid display from RR. He reduced the equation to just 13 off six deliveries at one point but failed to get Rajasthan over the line.

Nonetheless, it remains a brilliant century under heavy pressure.