'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A sensational hundred by Sanju Samson on his captaincy debut for Rajasthan Royals (RR) went in vain, as Punjab Kings (PBKS) got home by four runs in a high-scoring game in the 2020-21 IPL on Monday.
Needing a mammoth 222 for victory, RR seemed to be down and out at 70 for 3. However, Samson played an incredible knock of 119 off 63 balls to take his team to the cusp of a sensational win. However, that was not to be, as the Punjab Kings walked away victors in a tense finish.
Sanju Samson lived a charmed life. He was dropped by PBKS captain KL Rahul off Arshdeep Singh on 12. On 35, Samson played his 'customary' poor shot, hitting one up in the air. However, a lack of communication between Mayank Agarwal and Shahrukh Khan saw the chance go begging, and Punjab Kings almost paid dearly for it.
Samson rode his luck but played some fabulous strokes. He launched Riley Meredith for sixes in consecutive overs. The first one was hit over long-off, and the second was spliced over fine leg for a maximum. The RR captain reached his fifty off 33 balls, ramping Meredith over Rahul's head for a four to keep his team in the chase.
With 68 needed off the last five, Samson and Riyan Parag (25 off 11) combined brilliantly as RR took three sixes off Murugan Ashwin. Samson hit the first one over the bowler’s head. Parag joined in by biffing the bowler twice down the ground. The experienced Mohammed Shami, though, dismissed the teenager with a bouncer.
RR still needed 40 off the last three when Samson swung the match with some incredible hitting. The first ball from PBKS' new recruit Jhye Richardson was a slower one and was lifted over extra-cover. The next one was punched over long-off for a maximum. Samson then became the first player to score a hundred in his first game as IPL captain by sending a full toss to the third-man fence.
After Meredith took out Rahul Tewatia (2) with a wide delivery, Samson whipped him over midwicket for another six.
With 13 needed off the last over. Samson managed to loft the fourth delivery from Arshdeep Singh over cover for six to make it five off two. After refusing a single off the penultimate ball, Samson agonisingly sliced the last ball to PBKS batting hero Deepak Hooda at the sweeper cover boundary, as PBKS heaved a huge sigh of relief.
PBKS strike early blows
Rajasthan Royals got off to the worst possible start in their massive chase of 222. Ben Stokes miscued the third ball of the innings from Mohammed Shami straight up in the air. Three men converged on the ball. Despite a collision with KL Rahul, Shami hung on to the catch to dismiss the dangerous left-hander for a duck.
The other opener, Manan Vohra (12), then smacked one straight back to Arshdeep Singh, who took a sharp catch. It could have been two in the over for the left-armer, but Rahul dropped a sitter off Samson and almost paid dearly for it.
Riley Meredith, however, did not have a great introduction to the IPL. His first four balls were hammered for boundaries by Jos Buttler. A nervous Meredith was either too full or too short, allowing the RR wicketkeeper-batsman to open his arms.
Buttler (25)’s entertainment did not last long, though, as a slow yorker from Jhye Richardson dipped and swerved in the air before crashing through his defences. After that, it was all Samson for RR, as he sent PBKS bowlers on a leather hunt.
KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda sizzle as PBKS post massive 221 for 6
A captain’s knock of 91 off 50 balls from PBKS captain KL Rahul combined with a stroke-filled 28-ball 64 from Deepak Hooda saw PKBS post a highly impressive 221 for 6 on the board after being sent into bat first.
Promoted to no. 4 in the PKBS lineup, ahead of Nicholas Pooran, Hooda featured in a scintillating third-wicket stand of 105. Chris Gayle’s 28-ball 40 gave the innings impetus after Mayank Agarwal (14) became Chetan Sakariya’s first IPL victim, edging one to the wicketkeeper.
While Rahul carried on from where he left off last year, Hooda’s big-hitting on the day was sensational. He clobbered six fours and four sixes in his innings to emphatically justify his promotion up the batting order.
Hooda got early momentum in his innings by hammering two sixes in the 13th over off the friendly medium pace of Shivam Dube - the first one was a full toss launched over midwicket, and the second was a slower cutter that was deposited over extra-cover. Earlier, Rahul had got to his fifty in the same over, off 30 balls, lofting one straight over the bowler’s head.
In the next over bowled by leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal, Hooda helped himself to three more sixes. The first two were smacked over cover and square leg, respectively. The third was lofted straight over the bowler’s head.
When Chris Morris came back, he was whipped over midwicket for another maximum. Hooda brought up his fifty off only 20 balls. After a hat-trick of boundaries off Sakariya in the 17th over, the batsman’s luck finally ran out, as he hit Morris straight up in the air.
Even as Hooda muscled away, Rahul was at his sublime best and scored at an excellent pace too. He hit seven fours and five sixes, narrowly missing out on a hundred. Rahul was dropped on 15 by Ben Stokes and made RR pay.
With Gayle getting the big hits, the PBKS captain was happy rotating the strike. After the left-hander was dismissed, though, Rahul immediately stepped on the accelerator, launching Rahul Tewatia for a six over his head.
With Hooda going berserk at one end, Rahul, too, kept finding the boundaries. Even in the over that Hooda was dismissed, Rahul punished Morris for two sixes - one was punched over covers and the other pulled with disdain over deep midwicket.
Sakariya dismissed Rahul in the last over as Tewatia took a smart rebound catch on the boundary. The debutant left-armer also sent back Jhye Richardson to end with impressive figures of 3 for 31, but PBKS had already piled a lot on the board.
IPL 2021: RR vs PBKS - Man of the Match
With both RR and PBKS dropping catches, the batters had a field day. Hooda was sensational with his big hitting. In a wonderful exhibition of ball-striking, Hooda ensured PBKS ended with a total in excess of 220.
PBKS captain KL Rahul also played a brilliant knock. His 91 was another confirmation of his class. Even though it never looked as if he was going on an all-out attack, Rahul registered a strike rate of 182.
For RR, it was the Sanju Samson show all the way. Under pressure, the RR captain came up with some incredible shots and almost made PBKS pay for dropping him.
His 119 did not deserve to end up on the losing side, but one team had to lose on the day. Unfortunately for Samson, despite his brilliance, RR fell tantalisingly short of glory, as PBKS survived a massive scare.
Sanju Samson was named the Man of the Match for his blistering hundred against PBKS.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
