Rajasthan Royals registered a 20-run win over Lucknow Super Giants at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday to open their IPL 2024 campaign on a winning note.
Skipper Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 82-run knock propelled the inaugural edition champions to a score of 193, which they managed to defend successfully by limiting KL Rahul’s LSG to 173 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs.
Rahul and Windies big-hitter Nicholas Pooran posted half-centuries, but their efforts went in vain ultimately as the Royals picked up the two points on offer in front of their passionate home crowd.
Samson, who was awarded the Man of the Match award heaped praise on RR seamer Sandeep Sharma for playing a crucial role in the victory with the ball.
The match remained in the balance well into the business end of the game, before Sandeep’s incredibly economical spell of 3 overs, in which he conceded just 22 runs and picked up the wicket of the dangerous Rahul, turned the tide of the game in favour of the hosts.
“I think I should give the trophy to Sandeep Sharma. I wouldn’t have been standing here if not for him,” Samson said magnanimously.
“I thought of calling him, but then thought it would be a bit too much,” he expressed.
