Sanju makes a mass entry, smashes 82 off just 52 balls to take RR to 193/4

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Royals' skipper Sanju Samson made a mass entry into the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he smashed 82 runs to take his side to a total of 193 runs for the loss of four wickets against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in its first match of the season.

Samson won the toss and elected to bat first at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Both the openers, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal were able to add just 13 runs when Buttler was sent back to the pavilion after scoring 11 runs off 9 balls with the help of two fours. Samson came into bat next and built a quickfire partnership of 36 runs from just 18 balls with Jaiswal before the opener was dismissed after scoring 24 runs which was laced with three boundaries and a maximum in his innings when the team score was 49 runs. RR scored their fifty on the first ball of the sixth over as the skipper took a single on the bowling of left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya.

Samson along with Riyan Parag built a partnership of 50 runs on the fourth ball of the 11th over as the former slammed a six on the bowling of leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. With this hit, it brought the team's 100 runs as well. The wicketkeeper-batter completed his half-century in the 13th over as he smashed a six on the bowling of Bishnoi. Parag was dismissed after scoring 43 runs in 29 balls which included three sixes and a four in his innings. The batter was dismissed by the right-arm seamer Naveen-ul-haq. He along with the Rajasthan franchise's skipper put on a partnership of 93 runs in 59 balls. The Royals touched the 150-mark on the first ball of the 17th over as Samson took a single on the bowling of Bishnoi. Shimron Hetmyer was dismissed at the score of 150 after scoring just 5 runs. Then Dhruv Jurel joined the skipper.

Samson built an unbeaten partnership of 43 runs with Dhruv Jurel who scored 20 runs in 12 balls with one four and six each. Samson scored 82* runs off 52 balls which was laced with six maximums and three fours in the innings. For LSG, the pick of the bowlers was Naven who snapped two wickets in his spell of four overs where he conceded 41 runs. One wicket each was grabbed by Mohsin Khan and Bishnoi in their respective spells.

Brief Score: Rajasthan Royals 193/4 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 82*, Riyan Parag 43, Naveen-ul-haq 2/41) vs Lucknow Super Giants.