Post-match interviews
The plan was to keep it simple and wide. The only thing he (Samson) could have got was a four.Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh after bowling the final over
I don't have words to explain my feelings. Would have loved to finish it off for my team. I don't think I could have done better than that. I thought I timed it well for a six but somehow... Catches go down and good catches were also taken. It's part of the game.Sanju Samson after scoring a brilliant century
A Royal Heartbreak!
Samson caught at long off. Arshdeep saves the game for Punjab Kings
5 off 1
Dot ball
Samson declines a run
SIX!
Oh my! SAMSON HITS IT WITH NERVES OF STEEL
1 run
Samson on strike. 11 needed off 3
1 run
Full and wide. More imortantly Punjab have Samson off strike
Dot ball
13 from 5
Arshdeep Singh to bowl final over
13 off 6. Samson on strike
End of Over 19 RR (209-6)
SIX!
Samson brings his wrists into play. Smoothly hits it over midwicket
WICKET!
Edged and taken by KL behind the stumps.
Rahul Tewatia c †Rahul b Meredith 2 (4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50
Meredith to bowl penultimate over
Tewatia on strike
End of Over 18: RR (201-5)
19 runs from the over
21 needed from 12 balls
Rahul Tewatia* 2 (3) Sanju Samson* 105 (56) Jhye Richardson4-0-55-1 Mohammed Shami4-0-33-2
WHAT A WAY TO BRING UP 100*
4,6,4 off the first 3 balls as Samson brings up a fine century
Samson on strike 88*
Jhye Richardson to bowl 18th over
Shami does the job for his captain
8 runs from the over. Royals need 40 from 18 balls
Sanju Samson* 88 (51) Rahul Tewatia* 1 (2)
Mohammed Shami4-0-33-2 Murugan Ashwin4-0-43-0
WICKET! Parag edges it to the keeper
Punjab Kingg breathe a sigh of relief as Go-to man Shami dismisses Parag
Shami brought back into the attack to break this dangerous partnership
End of Over 16: RR (174-4)
Just 48 from needed from 24 balss
Riyan Parag 25 (9) Sanju Samson 83 (49)
Murugan Ashwin 4-0-43-0 Jhye Richardson3-0-36-1
20 runs from the over!
Parag and Samson taking the game away from Punjab Kings with superb onslaught!
Ashwin to bowl Over No. 16
Rajasthan Royals need this to be a big over
End of Over 15: RR (154-4)
13 runs from the over including a six and four
Richardson introduced back into the attack
Samson needs to step up
81 needed in six overs
End of Over 14: RR (141-4)
Sanju Samson* 64 (43) Riyan Parag* 11 (3)
Mohammed Shami 3-0-25-1Arshdeep Singh 3-0-27-2
Four followed by a MASSIVE SIX!
Parag flicks India's premier pacer over midwicket! Nonchalant shot!
Shami comes into the attack
End of Over 13: RR (128-4)
Riyan Parag* 4 (1) Sanju Samson* 58 (39)
Arshdeep Singh 3-0-27-2 Murugan Ashwin* 3-0-23-0
WICKET! Dube caught at long-off by Hooda
Shivam Dube c Hooda b Arshdeep Singh 23 (15b 3x4 0x6) SR: 153.33
Let-arm pacer Arshdeep replaces Meredith
End of Over 12: RR (117-3)
Ashwin to continue, will bowl Over No. 12
End of Over 11: RR (109-3)
Sanju Samson* 54 (35) Shivam Dube* 12 (8)
Riley Meredith 3-0-41-0 Murugan Ashwin 2-0-15-0
FOUR! Fifty for Samson
Plays the short ball over keeper's head to bring maiden fifty as RR captain
SIX!
Banged in short and Samson slices it over fine leg for six
Meredith hasn't had a good debut and Rajasthan will look to target him
Rajasthan Royals need to put foot on the gas to come close to the target
End of Over 10: RR (95-3)
8 runs from it
Required rate now: 12.70
Sanju Samson 41 (30) Shivam Dube 11 (7)
Murugan Ashwin 2-0-15-0 Riley Meredith2-0-27-0
Ashwin bowls a quiet over
Ashwin back into the attack
End of Over 9: RR (87-3)
Need 135 from 66 balls
Sanju Samson*37 (26) Shivam Dube* 9 (5)
Riley Meredith 2-0-27-0 Jhye Richardson 2-0-23-1
SIX! Dube launches it over long-off
Brute pace not working well for Meredith. Last ball was 142 kms/hr
Meredith comes back into the attack
End of Over 8: RR (78-3)
Shivam Dube*8 (3) Sanju Samson*29 (22)
Jhye Richardson2-0-23-1 Murugan Ashwin1-0-7-0
WICKET! A huge one that too. Buttler is gone!
First IPL wicket for Richardson. Bowls a slower one that kisses off stump
Jos Buttler b Richardson 25 (13b 5x4 0x6) SR: 192.3
Richardson into the attack
End of Over 7: RR (68-2)
9 runs from it
Murugan Ashwin to bowl Over No. 7
End of Over 6: RR (59-2)
Sanju Samson* 27 (17) Jos Buttler* 19 (8)
Arshdeep Singh2-0-16-1 Riley Meredith1-0-18-0
Samson playing an anchor's role
Strikes two boundaries in the final over of the powerplay.
End of Over 5: RR (48-2)
18 runs from the over. Required Rate: 11.60
Sanju Samson*17 (13) Jos Buttler* 18 (6)
Riley Meredith 1-0-18-0 Arshdeep Singh1-0-5-1
4! 4! 4! 4! BUTTLER cooking something special!
Four consecutive boundaries off the first four balls. What a way to welcome Meredith to the IPL
Meredith to bowl Over No. 5
End of Over 4: RR (30-2)
5 runs and a wicket from the over
RR Need 192 from 96 balls
Sanju Samson*16 (12) Jos Buttler*1 (1)
Arshdeep Singh 1-0-5-1 Mohammed Shami 2-0-12-1
Wicket! Vohra caught and bowled
Vohra hits it hard but Arshdeep snatches it from his right side
Manan Vohra c & b Arshdeep Singh 12 (8b 1x4 1x6) SR: 150
Arshdeep Singh to bowl Over No. 4
End of Over 3: RR (25-1)
8 runs from it
Sanju Samson*12 (9) Manan Vohra*12 (6)
Mohammed Shami 2-0-12-1 Jhye Richardson 1-0-13-0
Shami to continue
End of Over 2: RR (17-1)
13 runs from the over
Manan Vohra*12 (6) Sanju Samson 4*(3)
Jhye Richardson 1-0-13-0 Mohammed Shami 1-0-4-1
DROPPED! Ashwin at deep third man drops the catch. Vohra survives
FOUR! Vohra trying to take charge of this big run-chase
SIX! Vohra wrists it over midwicket fence
End of Over 1: RR (4-1)
WICKET! What a huge blow for Rajasthan Royals
Shami takes the catch off his own bowling. The star batsman attempts a pull on Shami's heavy short ball only to manage a top edge.
Start of 2nd innings
Shami to bowl first over; Ben Stokes on strike
Innings Break!
Punjab Kings make 221 for six against Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match here on Monday.
They were struggling as they scored only 46 runs in the powerplay overs and crossing 180-mark seemed difficult. However, K L Rahul brilliantly anchored the innings and top-scored with 91 off 40 balls while Deepak Hooda smashed 64 off 28.
IPL debutant Chetan Sakariya was the pick of the Rajasthan bowlers with three wickets for 31 runs in four overs.
221/6 in 20 overs (K L Rahul 91, Deepak Hooda 64; Chetan Sakariya 3/31).
Punjab Kings finish on 221-6
221/6 in 20 overs (K L Rahul 91, Deepak Hooda 64; Chetan Sakariya 3/31).
WICKET! Fine fine last over from the debutant
Jhye Richardson out off the last ball
Jhye Richardson c Morris b Sakariya 0 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0
WICKET! End of a KLassy innings
Tewatia produces what he is known for - magical moments. Rahul grabs the ball with both hands before crossing over the boundary, tosses it back into play and grabs it on rebound
KL Rahul c Tewatia b Sakariya 91 (50b 7x4 5x6) SR: 182
4! KL enters the 90s! Sakariya is bowling the final over
Rahul smashes the slower one over extra-cover
End of Over 19: PBKS (216-4)
15 runs from it
Shahrukh Khan* 5 (2) KL Rahul*87 (48)
Mustafizur Rahman 4-0-45-0 Chris Morris 4-0-41-2
M Shahrukh Khan is the new man in at No. 6
KL Rahul batting on 84
Will he get a 100? nine balls to go
FOUR! KL slices it over extra cover
End of Over 18: PBKS (201/4)
WICKET! Fine leg takes a fine catch
Sakariya takes a brilliant catch! Dives full length and grabs it two-handed.
Nicholas Pooran c Sakariya b Morris 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0
KL Rahul takes a single and gets Pooran on strike
SIX! Rahul hits it long and hard!
Morris bowls it short and gets smothered over deep midwicket.
WICKET! Hurricane Hooda departs!
Hits it straight in the hands of long-on. Parag takes a regular catch. Dug-out gives him an applause
Deepak Hooda c Parag b Morris 64 (28b 4x4 6x6) SR: 228.57
SIX off the first ball! KL Rahul has silently moved up to the score of 71 without being noticed
Morris will bowl Over 18
End of Over 17: PBKS (187-2)
Deepak Hooda*64 (27) KL Rahul* 65 (39)
Chetan Sakariya 3-0-26-1 Chris Morris 3-0-27-0
FREE HIT!
Another Four! Commentator's curse for the young lad. Finishes of the over leaking 13 off the last 2 deliveries
Can't keep Hooda quite tonight
Back to back fours to finish off the over. One behind the keeper and one over the bowler. No! It's a no ball
Only 2 off first four balls
Sakariya back into the attack
How good has he been in the backdrop of sensational hitting by Punjab Kings. His figures - 11-1 in 2 over
End of Over 16: PBKS (172-2)
11 runs from the over
Deepak Hooda* 51 (21) KL Rahul* 64 (38)
Chris Morris 3-0-27-0 Mustafizur Rahman 3-0-30-0
Good comeback by Stokes to finish off the over
FIFTY for Hurricane Hooda!
20-ball 50. Just what the doctor ordered for Punjab Kings
SIX! HOODA you beauty!
He is 47 off 17 now
Morris into the attack
Punjab Kings marching on; look set for score of 220
End of Over 15: PBKS (161-2)
SIX! KL smashes it over third-man for MAXIMUM!
DROPPED!
Buttler runs back from cover only to drop a catch that had Stokes' name written all over it. Hooda survives!
Mustafizur to bowl Over No. 15! Royals desperate for a wicket
End of Over 14: PBKS (150-2)
Another massive over for Punjab Kings
Deepak Hooda* 39 (15) KL Rahul* 54 (32)
Shreyas Gopal 3-0-40-0 Shivam Dube 1-0-20-0
Gopal to bowl Over No. 14
End of Over 13: PBKS (130-2)
20 runs off Over 13: Hooda smashes 2 sixes while KL Rahul launches one over boundary. Dube taken to cleaners
End of Over 12: PBKS (110-2)
8 runs off the over
Deepak Hooda* 7 (6) KL Rahul* 46 (29)
Shreyas Gopal 2-0-20-0 Rahul Tewatia 2-0-25-0
Gopal into the attack
End of Over 11: PBKS (102-2)
13 runs off the over
KL Rahul* 44 (27) Deepak Hooda*1 (2)
Rahul Tewatia 2-0-25-0 Riyan Parag 1-0-7-1
SIX! Rahul takes charge!
Lofted straight-drive over bowler
Tewatia to continue
Stokes leaves the field for treatment after catch; Hooda is the new man in at No. 4 ahead of Pooran
END OF OVER 10: PBKS (89/2)
WICKET! Chris Gayle Departs
Stokes catches it on long-on this time.
Chris Gayle c Stokes b Parag 40 (28b 4x4 2x6) SR: 142.85
Parag to bowl Over No. 10
End of Over 9: PBKS (82-1)
Another 12 run over. CRR: 9.11
Chris Gayle* 39 (26) KL Rahul* 26 (19)
Rahul Tewatia 1-0-12-0 Ben Stokes1-0-12-0
SIX! Smashed over long-on for six
The Universe Boss is rubbing salt in the wounds
DROPPED! Dropping Chris Gayle in this form is a crime!
Tewatia drops a caught and bowl chance
FOUR! Chris Gayle looking dangerous
ROCKET SHOT through covers
Rahul Tewatia replaces Gopal
End of Over 8: PBKS (70-1)
Another 12-run over
Chris Gayle* 28 (21) KL Rahul* 25 (18)
Ben Stokes 1-0-12-0 Shreyas Gopal 1-0-12-0
Punjab Kings moving on nicely here
SIX followed by a FOUR! Ben Stokes being punished for dropped catch
Gayle launches a pull over midwicket after KL Rahul rotates strike, not before hitting a boundary himself
Ben Stokes to bowl Over No. 8
End of Over 7: PBKS (58-1)
12 from the over
DROPPED! Ben Stokes drops Gayle on boundary
Gopal introduced straight after fielding restrictions
End of power-play: PBKS (46-1)
Rajasthan Royals will be happier of the two sides after the end of 6 overs
Chris Gayle* 14 (14) KL Rahul* 15 (13)
Chris Morris2-0-16-0 Mustafizur Rahman 2-0-19-0
Chris Gayle hits much-needed boundary
Morris pitches it up to Gayle, gets smashed over mid-on
Morris to bowl final powerplay over
End of Over 5: PBKS (39-1)
8 runs from the over
Chris Gayle* 7 (8) KL Rahul* 15 (13)
Mustafizur Rahman 2-0-19-0 Chris Morris1-0-9-0
Mustafizur Continues, will bowl 5th over
Chris Gayle takes guard
End of Over 4: PBKS (31-1)
9 runs from the Chris Morris over
Chris Gayle is the new man in at No. 3
Chris Morris comes in to bowl 4th over
End of Over 3: PBKS (26-1)
Chris Gayle* 0 (2) KL Rahul* 7 (7)
Chetan Sakariya 2-0-11-1 Mustafizur Rahman 1-0-11-0
WICKET! Mayank Agarwal departs
Sakariya claims his first IPL wicket. Mayank Agarwal tries to hit an outswinger and edges it behind to Samson as he takes a safe catch
Mayank Agarwal c †Samson b Sakariya 14 (9b 2x4 0x6) SR: 155.55
Chetan Sakariya to continue, will bowl 3rd over
End of Over 2: PBKS (21-0)
FOUR! Punjab off to a good start
Mustafizur Drifts down the leg once again.
Mayank Agarwal* 14 (8) KL Rahul* 6 (4)
Mustafizur Rahman 1-0-11-0 Chetan Sakariya 1-0-10-0
Mayank survives a loud LBW appeal
No Review! Replays show the in-swinger hit middle and leg. Missed Opportunity for Royals
Mustafizur to bowl 2nd over
End of Over 1: PBKS (10-0)
KL Rahul 5 (3) Mayank Agarwal 5 (3)
Chetan Sakariya 1-0-10-0
FOUR! Rahul plays down the leg side
Agarwal off the mark with 4 after KL Rahul takes a single
MATCH BEGINS!
Chetan Sakariya to open bowling for Rajasthan Royals, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal take the crease
Head-to-Head Record
Rajasthan Royals Won - 12
Punjab Kings Won - 9
Playing XI
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler (wk), Manan Vohra, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson(c), Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman
Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c&wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Jhye Richardson, M Ashwin, Riley Meredith, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
We wanted to bowl first, too, but having said that we have to play good cricket. Toss does play a part...I can't really point out batting or bowling; the team is coming together as one. We are happy with the new buys and hopefully we start well. Gayle, Pooran, Richardson, and Meredith are the overseas players.KL Rahul - Punjab Kings Skipper
We did a good job with the auction. Morris, Stokes, Buttler, and Fizz are our overseas players. It's a honour to have Sanga alongside and he makes my job easier. Very excited about the new role.Sanju Samson - Rajasthan Royals Skipper
Toss at 7 pm: Rajasthan Royals win the toss, elect to field against Punjab Kings
Mustafizur Rahman and Shivam Dube receive their maiden Rajasthan Royals caps
Three IPL debutants for Punjab Kings Camp
TN's Shahrukh Khan, Hobart Hurricanes' Riley Meredith and Perth Scorchers' Jhye Richardson make debut for Punjab Kings
Shivam Dube most likely to make his Rajasthan debut tonight after spending two seasons at RCB
Shivam Dube previously played 15 matches in the two seasons at RCB; scoring 169 runs at an average of 16.90 and a strike rate of 122.46. He was however impressive with the ball last season picking up 4 wickets at an economy of 8.11 as their sixth bowler.
Can IPL 2021 prove be a fitting finale for Chris Gayle?
Gayle is the seventh-highest run-scorer in the IPL with 4,772 runs. He owns most hundreds in the tournament's history (6) along with 31 fifties. Despite all his accomplishments in the IPL, Chris Gayle has never lifted the trophy. His team Punjab Kings haven't won it either. Will the Jamaican cricketer do it for himself and Punjab before signing off from the the tournament?
MS Dhoni inspiration behind emergence of keeper-captains: Buttler
Rajasthan Royals' English recruit Jos Buttler believes the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the inspiration behind emergence of wicketkeeper-captains in the world's biggest T20 league, the IPL. Besides Dhoni, who has been Chennai Super Kings' skipper since the inaugural edition in 2008, three more glovesmen -- KL Rahul (Punjab Kings), Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals) and Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals) will lead their respective sides in the ongoing IPL
Royals will Jofra Archer: Sangakarra
Star pacer Jofra Archer's absence because of injury is a "big blow" to Rajasthan Royals but their new Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara is confident that the team's young Indian fast bowlers will rise to the challenge.
Glad to have some foreign firepower in bowling line-up, says Kumble
Anil Kumble, Director of Cricket Operations, Punjab Kings has said he is really pleased with how his side has managed to add some foreign firepower in their bowling. In the players' auction held in February this year, Punjab Kings managed to rope in Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith and the unit also has the experience of Chris Jordon to fall back on this season.
Rajasthan Royals Probable XI
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (WK), Sanju Samson (C), Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Chris Morris, Kartik Tyagi, Jaydev Unadkat, Andrew Tye
Punjab Kings Probable XI
KL Rahul (C & WK), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Jhye Richardson, Mohammad Shami, Riley Meredith, Arshdeep Singh
Rajasthan Royals Squad
Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh.
Punjab Kings Squad
KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Prabsimran Singh, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Darshan Nalkande, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Jhye Richardson, Shahrukh Khan, Riley Meredith, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar.
Preview:
It's going to be a a clash of two underachievers of the last season. Punjab Kings, the biggest auction spenders by virtue of having a bigger purse, will want to translate potential into performance.
Meanwhile, RajasthanRoyals, last year’s wooden spooners, look to start afresh under a new captain in Sanju Samson.
A battle of big-hitters is on the cards when two line-ups dotted with expansive strokemakers clash in pursuit of a winning start to their IPL campaigns here on Monday.
Rajasthan will be banking heavily on their swashbuckling foreign recruits Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler alongside a strong Indian unit comprising of all-rounders Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag, all suitable for batting-friendly Wankhede track.
Punjab on the other hand boast of some hard-hitters like Rahul (670 runs in 2020 season), Mayank Agarwal (424 runs) and Chris Gayle.
Rahul and Agarwal formed a lethal opening combination in 2020 and would continue to open.
They also have the likes of Englishman Dawid Malan, one of the finest T20 batsmen currently, hard-hitting Tamil Nadu batsman M Shahrukh Khan, and West Indian Nicholos Pooran.
However, it remains to be seen who takes the new ball with Shami. With their spin attack a concern, Murugan Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi will have to play their roles well to contain a devastating Rajasthan line-up.