Pune: Rajasthan Royals' (RR) skipper Sanju Samson punished wayward bowlers of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in addition with his crude power hitting that took RR flying in their first match against SRH, scoring 210/6 here at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in an IPL match here.
Samson scored 55 off just 26 deliveries. RR management though would be happy that apart from Samson, Jos Buttler (35 from 28) and Devdutt Padikkal (41 off 29) came blasting too and provided Rajasthan a build up to a strong total.
Samson and Devdutt Padikkal (41 off 29 balls; 4x4; 6x2) added 73 runs for the third wicket off 41 balls, before late blitz by Shimron Hetmyer (32 from 13 balls) made sure RR capitalise on the platform set, and move past 200.
Samson's six-hitting prowess was on display as he struck five maximums and three boundaries, sparing no bowler during his entertaining stay in the middle.
Put into bat, Royals opener Jos Buttler, on zero, survived courtesy a no ball. Buttler (35) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (20) then gave the side a flying start, stitching a 58-run stand to lay the foundation for a big total.
Buttler was brutal on Umran Malik, hammering him for two fours and two maximums in the fourth over, as RR collected 21 runs.
The two openers then struck a six each off Washington Sundar (0/47) in the next over as RR raced to 52 for no loss after five overs.
Jaiswal however perished in the seventh over, holing out to Aiden Markram off Romario Shepherd. While Buttler, who hit three fours and as many sixes, was dismissed at the start of the ninth over as RR slipped to 75 for two.
Showing intent straightaway, Samson started with a four and a six over long-off and hit another maximum over fine-leg, as he took on the SRH attack with gusto.
While Samson found the fence at will, Padikkal too got into the groove and began attacking in the 12th over when he pulled T Natarajan for a maximum.
Samson was again brutal on Sundar, striking him for two successive sixes in the 16th over as RR marched on.
SRH removed Paddikkal and Samson in quick succession, but a lot of damage had been done by then, before Hetmyer compounded the bowling team's woes with his massive hits as RR scored 123 runs in the back 10.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), fast bowler Umran Malik and T Natarajan took two wickets each while the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Romario Shepherd shared two wickets amongst themselves. Although, the bowlers' wayward line and length provided plenty of scoring opportunities and RR batter made sure to execute their plans well.
Brief Scores
RR: Sanju Samson 55, Umran Malik 2/35, T Natarajan - 2/43
