Sanju Samson’s 2nd IPL hundred was eclipsed by the Sunrisers with David Warner and Jonny Bairstow being the pivotal figures to achieve the total.
After coming off a tough loss at the hands of KXIP, the first trip for the Royals came in the form of the ever consistent Hyderabad.
Electing to bat first after winning the toss, last season’s hero Buttler was sent back to the pavilion early by Rashid Khan. Despite the early wicket, skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson set the tone for the innings through a century stand.
While Rahane departed for a well made 70, Samson romped his way to his 2nd IPL century. The former Delhi Daredevils’ batsman played an elegant inning and switched gears in the death, taking Bhuvneshwar Kumar completely apart. The spearhead had a day to forget in the office, with his figures reading 0-55.
The run chase for the Sunrisers started at 10 per over, which was soon reduced courtesy of clean striking by the opening pair of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. The duo added 70 runs in the powerplay, to set a spectacular platform.
After having set the rhythm, the opening batsmen departed after making their respective half-centuries. In what seemed like a walk in the park for the hosts, turned out to be a heart in the mouth moment as the middle order crumbled.
Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson departed without troubling the scorecard too much. Despite a bright cameo, Vijay Shankar too failed to stick around to finish off the innings.
The task was left up to the experienced Yusuf Pathan and Rashid Khan, which they managed to complete with an over to spare.
This victory springs the orange army above in the table while the Rajasthan Royals join Royal Challengers Bangalore at the bottom of the points table.
Brief Scorecard:
RR 198-2 (20 overs) (S.Samson 102*; R.Khan 1-24)
SRH 201-5 (19 overs) (D.Warner 69; S.Gopal 3-27)
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