'You won a lot of hearts' Raina lauds Samson's brilliant 119-run knock

Sanju Samson's knock of 119 runs of just 63 balls might have come in a losing cause against the Punjab Kings, but the right-handed batsman showed his potential and the cricketing fraternity could not praise him enough.

Mumbai: Sanju Samson's knock of 119 runs of just 63 balls might have come in a losing cause against the Punjab Kings, but the right-handed batsman showed his potential and the cricketing fraternity could not praise him enough. Rajasthan Royals skipper came out to bat in the very first over and he almost took his side over the line chasing 222. On the final ball, with his side needing 5 runs for the win, he was sent back to the pavilion and Rajasthan suffered a four-run loss.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Suresh Raina took to Twitter to praise Samson and his valiant knock. "What an incredible innings @IamSanjuSamson ! Well played, you have definitely won a lot of hearts today, Keep Going. Huge respect," tweeted Raina.

Mumbai Indians pacer Jasprit Bumrah also congratulated Samson on Twitter, saying: "Really happy for @IamSanjuSamson great knock. Top class. #RRvPBKS Former India cricketer and mentor of SunRisers Hyderabad, VVS Laxman also heaped praise on Samson for his fighting knock against the Punjab Kings.

Samson's fighting hundred went in vain as Arshdeep Singh held his nerves in the final over to help Punjab Kings register a thrilling win over Rajasthan Royals here at the Wankhede on Monday.

READ:Next time Samson will hit 10 yards further to win Rajasthan Royals: Sangakkara

KL Rahul's calm and composed knock, aided by Deepak Hooda's belligerent hitting, helped Punjab Kings post 221 in the allotted 20 overs. In response, Rajasthan Royals fell just four runs short of the target to clinch the game. Earlier, KL Rahul's calm and composed knock, aided by Hooda's belligerent hitting, helped Punjab Kings post a total of 221/6 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.