RR vs LSG, IPL 2024: Sanju Samson, Trent Boult power Rajasthan to 20-run win

Rajasthan win

Lucknow pay for KL Rahul’s sluggish start as RR win by 20 runs despite Nicholas Pooran’s unbeaten 64 off 41 balls.

Lucknow need 37

The big-hitting Marcus Stoinis is gone and now all hopes are pinned on Nicholas Pooran. LSG need 37 off 12.

KL Rahul departs

Rajasthan needed wickets and they have it. KL Rahul falls for 58 with LSG still needing 49 runs to win. Stoinis and Pooran are on crease.

Last four overs

Lucknow need another 49 runs off last four overs. Pooran is on 46 and KL Rahul on 58.

LSG crawl back

Nicholas Pooran and KL Rahul are changing the complexion of the match. LSG seemed to be down and out but they have crawled back with Pooran taking on Trent Boult 20 runs in the over.

KL Rahul gets going

KL Rahul has finally got going. The six and two consecutive fours take Rahul to 40 off 29 after just 25 off 25. LSG need Rahul to be more destructive now.

Halfway through

Nicholas Pooran and KL Rahul are on the crease. Lucknow are 76/4. They still need to climb a mountain. LSG need 118 more off 60 balls.

Hooda gone!

Deepak Hooda falls after a 49-run stand. Lucknow needed him badly as he was dictating the pace of the match. But Yuzvendra Chahal strikes in his first over and he departs. RR 60/4 after 7.3

Missed Boult?

If you missed out on Trent Boult’s first two wickets, here you go.

50-up

KL Rahul may be taking his time to get going but Deepak Hooda is wasting no time. He is taking on the Royals attack as they bring up 50 in 194-run chase.

Nandre Burger joins party

South African Nandre Burger has struck in his second over. He was excellent against India in the Test series and in SA20. And now, he is delivering in IPL as well. Ayush Badoni falls as LSG are 11/3 after 3.1.

Thunder Boult strikes

Trent Boult has rattled Lucknow already. He struck in the first over to remove Quinton de Kock. And in his second, he struck Devdutt Padikkal on his helmet. And in the next delivery, he has cleaned him up. Lucknow 10/2 after 2.2

Rajasthan 193/4

Lucknow Super Giants need 194 runs to win after Sanju Samson heroics help Rajasthan post 193/4. Samson remains unbeaten on 82. While he missed out on a well-deserved ton, he has made the selectors take notice. Riyan Parag was another batter who did well after promotion to No 4. He scored 43 off 29.

Century loading?

Sanju Samson is the man to watch today. RR captain is on 72 off 47 and is just 28 runs away from a century. Two overs to go. Can he get there?

Wicket!

One brings in two. Shimron Hetmyer falls to Ravi Bishnoi. Excellent catch by KL Rahul and a futile review by Hetmyer. RR 150/4 after 16.3

Partnership broken!

Naveen Ul Haq has broken the stand with a slower delivery and Riyan Parag has to depart. He has played an impactful knock after promotion to No 4. He departs for 43 off 29 as the 93-run stand is broken. RR are 142/3.

Sanju Samson hits 50

It has taken only 33 balls for Sanju Samson to hit a fifty. And he has already made a mark. He has this one of the best games of IPL but then he fades away. This time, Sanju Samson will need to play a lot more of those best knocks.

On song

Sanju Samson is inching closer to his half-century as Rajasthan put the pressure back on Lucknow. Parag is also giving Samson great company with some blazing shots. RR 110/2 after 12.

Samson-Parag continue

With Jaiswal gone, it’s time for Riyan Parag to shine. He has done well in domestic cricket. And now he has to deliver after a promotion to No 4. He is with Sanju Samson and needs the runs. RR 63/2 after 8

What a way to go!

Yashasvi Jaiswal just hit an outlandish scoop off Mohsin Khan for a six. But this time, Mohsin has his revenge. He tried to take on a short ball but he has to depart after completely mistiming the shot. RR 49/2 after 5.

Samson-Jaiswal take charge

Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal have taken charge after Rajasthan Royals lost Jos Buttler. With powerplay still on, Samson and Jaiswal are going against the pace attack.

Wicket!

Rajasthan Royals have lost their first wicket and it’s Jos Buttler. He has nicked one to the wicketkeeper off Naveen Ul Haq. It’s a blow for RR.

Match resumes

The spi-cam is out of order but the match resumes after a 5-minute delay.

Spi-cam malfunctions

The match has paused after just two deliveries as the spider cam cable has snapped and stopped working.

Rajasthan begin

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler begin for Rajasthan Royals. Jaiswal has been in great form but all eyes will be in Buttler who hasn’t had the form.

RR Impact Subs

Nandre Burger, Rovman Powell, Tanush Kotian, Shubham Dube, Kuldeep Sen

LSG Impact Subs

Deepak Hooda, Mayank Yadav, Amit Mishra, Prerak Mankad, K Gowtham

LSG Bowling XI

KL Rahul(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Devdutt Padikkal, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur

LSG Bowling XI

KL Rahul(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Devdutt Padikkal, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur

RR Batting XI

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (w/c), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal

Quinton de Kock on KL Rahul not keeping

To be honest, I’m not too sure, I’m not part of the brain trust, you’ll need to ask the big dogs in the team management. I don’t know the reason, but we’ve been told he’ll not keep it for the first few games.

Yashasvi Jaiswal speaks

I just want to try and give my team a good start. I’ll just try and play the way I usually do. Very excited to be playing in Jaipur, we’ve had a lot of fans here and we will hope to give them a good game, anything can happen in a game of cricket, but we’ll try our best. I will just execute my process and enjoy my batting.

Toss Update

Sanju Samson has won the toss and opted to bat first against LSG. RR are playing with three foreigners with Rovman Powell likely as an Impact player.

Kumble on KL Rahul

I had conversations with Rahul about batting in the middle order when I was with Punjab. But he prefers to open. Keeping the World Cup in mind, maybe he should bat in the middle order for LSG. But I think should open with De Kock with Padikkal at No 3.

RR win hearts

Rajasthan Royals have honoured the people behind the pitch and ground maintenance.

RR vs LSG Pitch Report

Expect turn and it could be slow. That’s all that RR need with Ashwin and Chahal in their line-up. The square boundaries are 62m and 70m with a straight boundary of 79m. Not a big ground and not a small one either. But the pitch is brown with not grass on it. The cracks on the surface also indicate how dry the surface is. Samuel Badree and Matthew Hayden reckon it will be spinners’ game but the powerplay will be crucial where batters need to exploit.

Sanju Samson’s dilemma!

If KL Rahul is fighting his own battle, Sanju Samson is there too. He too is competing for a spot in T20 World Cup. But odds are stacked against him. In an ODI World Cup cycle, he became a T20 player as selectors gave him a chance in T20Is. But in T20 WC cycle, he has gotten chances in ODIs. So, it’s clear that selectors are not looking at him. However, IPL can change that. But like KL Rahul, Sanju needs to bat at No 5-6 slots. And that’s not ideal for Sanju or RR. Samson needs to find a solution.

Where will KL Rahul bat?

An opener throughout, KL Rahul may bat in the middle order for a change. The reason is T20 World Cup. He needs to bat in the middle-order to stay in contention as India’s top-order is saturated with no spots left. And for that to happen, KL Rahul may be forced to bat in the LSG middle-order.

Who will keep wickets for LSG?

LSG have a wicketkeeping conundrum. Nicholas Pooran, KL Rahul and Qinton de Kock are three keepers in the LSG Playing XI. Who will keep wickets? KL Rahul has a massive motivation to keep wickets as it can decide whether he could be in India’s T20 WC squad. But De Kock and Pooran are established keepers.

JL has a message

New LSG coach Justin Langer has a message for fans. Listen

Player battles

Jos Buttler vs Shivam Mavi
KL Rahul vs Trent Boult
Nicholas Pooran vs Yuzvendra Chahal
Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Marcus Stoinis

RR vs LSG Head to Head

Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals have played 3 matches against each other. LSG have won just a game while RR emerged victorious in 2 matches.

Battle of keepers

With IPL 2024 a T20 World Cup selection criteria, both captains — Sanju Samson & KL Rahul — will be on their toes. They need runs and also need them in the middle-order. They also need to perform well with the gloves. But will KL Rahul keep wickets?

RR fans gear up for team’s IPL 2024 opener