IPL 2021- PBKS vs RR: Sanju Samson becomes the first batsman to score a century on captaincy debut in IPL- Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson on Monday smashed a century in his debut match as captain of his IPL franchise at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Samson completed his century off just 54 balls that included 5 sixes and 12 boundaries. It was his 3rd century in the cash-rich league. He went on to score 119 runs off 63 balls [12×4, 7×6] but failed to hit the winning shot off the final ball as Punjab Kings won by 4 runs.
Highest scores in the first innings as captain in IPL:
102* Sanju Samson RR v PBKS 2021
93* Shreyas Iyer DD v KKR 2018
83 Kieron Pollard MI v KXIP 2019
First-century of the season:
IPL 2017: Sanju Samson
IPL 2019: Sanju Samson
IPL 2021: Sanju Samson
Centuries for Sanju Samson in IPL:
v RPS, Pune, 2017
v SRH, Hyderabad, 2019
v PBKS, Mumbai, 2021*
Take a bow, @IamSanjuSamson 🙌🙌
Top class innings from the @rajasthanroyals Captain!#VIVOIPL #RRvPBKS pic.twitter.com/h1cq6k82p1
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 12, 2021
Earlier, he smashed 7 fours and 2 sixes to bring up his 14th half-century in IPL off just 32 balls. Sanju Samson, who usually opens for RR, had to go out to bat in the very first over after Ben Stokes got bowled out for a duck. He is leading the run chase against Punjab Kings, requiring 222 runs to win the opening contest.
A wonderful half-century for @IamSanjuSamson 🙌🙌
His 14th #VIVOIPL
Live – https://t.co/WNSqxT6ygL #RRvPBKS #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/gMNmWxgyna
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 12, 2021
Sanju Samson is the leading run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals in IPL. He has amassed over 2600 runs in 107 IPL matches.
Earlier, KL Rahul’s calm and composed knock, aided by Deepak Hooda’s belligerent hitting, helped Punjab Kings score 221/5 against Rajasthan Royals. Rahul scored 91 runs off just 50 balls while Hooda set the Wankhede on fire with his 64-run knock from just 28 deliveries with the help of 4 fours and 6 sixes. Chris Gayle also chipped in with a valuable 40.
Hooda was sent ahead of Nicholas Pooran at number four and the right-hander justified the call as he dispatched RR spinners to all parts of the ground. Hooda and Rahul continued with their carnage in the death overs and Rajasthan bowlers were left searching for answers.
Also Read: IPL 2021- PBKS vs RR: Deepak Hooda slams second-fastest fifty by uncapped Indian in IPL
