IPL 2024: Samson, Jurel century partnership helps RRs beat LSG and edge closer to playoffs

Rajasthan Royals’ captain Sanju Samson played a pivotal innings. – AFP

The unbeaten blistering 121-run partnership between Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel powered Rajasthan Royals to a 7-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

RR captain Samsontop-scored for RR with an unbeaten 71 off 33 balls while Jurelsmashed 52 runs in 34 deliveries as the LSG bowlers missed their mark and were further broken apart due to multiple dropped catches.

Chasing a target of 197, openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler got Rajasthan Royals off to a flying start in the powerplay.

LSG captain KL Rahul opted to stick to pace, as he brought Yash Thakur for the last over of powerplay and the bowler provided his team with a big breakthrough, dismissing the in-form Jos Buttler in his very first over.

In the seventh over, RR lost both their openers as Marcus Stoinis dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal on his very first ball of the night. KL Rahul finally opted to make a shift to spin, as he brought Krunal Pandya into the attack and the bowler delivered an economical over, conceding 7 runs.

The 41-year-old Amit Mishra announced his arrival in style, as he dismissed Ryan Parag and added further pressure on RR’s run-chase. Dhruv Jurel showed some much-needed explosiveness at the crease, running an onslaught against Mohsin Khan, slamming three boundaries and one six.

RR captain Sanju Samson slammed a half-century in 28 balls while Jurel continued his impressive form as he bagged his maiden IPL fifty in 31 balls. In the 19th over of the game, Samson and Jurel slammed a four and six to guide their team home with a 7-wicket victory against the home team.

Earlier, Magnificent fifties from KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda guided LSG to 196/5 in 20.

RR skipper Sanju Samson won the toss and elected to bowl at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

The hosts lost the first wicket only on the third ball of the innings as Quinton De Kock was dismissed after slamming two boundaries on the bowling of left-arm seamer Trent Boult.

After De Kock’s wicket, right-hand batter Marcus Stoinis came out to bat along with skipper KL Rahul. However, Stoinis went back without opening his account in the second over when the team score was 11.

After Stoinis’s dismissal, Deepak Hooda came out to the crease to bat along with Rahul. Both of them brought up the team’s fifty in the seventh over.

The LSG skipper brought up his half-century in the 10th over as he hit a boundary on the bowling of Chahal.

In the 12th over, the other batter, Hooda also completed his fifty as he took a single on the bowling of Chahal.

Hooda was dismissed on the bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin in the 13th over after scoring 50 from 31 balls with the help of seven boundaries. He, along with Rahul, built a partnership of 115 runs in 62 balls.

After Hooda, left-hand batter Nicholas Pooran came out to the crease. Pooran was sent back to the pavilion after he scored 11 runs in as many balls.

In the 18th over, at the score of 173, Rahul was sent back to the dressing room after he had scored 76 runs in 48 balls which were laced with eight boundaries and two maximums. After the completion of 20 overs, the hosts finished at 196/5.

The pick of the bowlers for the Royals was Sandeep Sharma who picked two wickets in his spell of four overs while conceding 31 runs. One wicket each was grabbed by Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, and Ravichandran Ashwin respectively.

196/5 (KL Rahul 76, Deepak Hooda 50, Sandeep Sharma 2/31)

199/3 (Sanju Samson 71, Dhruv Jurel 52; Marcus Stoinis 1-3). (ANI)