IPL 2020: RR vs CSK Review – Samson storm blows away CSK in Sharjah

Rajasthan Royals franchise made a royal start in IPL 2020 defeating the Chennai Super Kings by 16 runs in their opening game. It was all about Sanju Samson who took centre stage for the Royals batting first.

Coming in to bat at number 3, Samson slammed 74 off just 32 balls with nine sixes to his name while Steve Smith played the perfect second filled with a knock of 69. Though RR collapsed later in the innings, Jofra Archer came in and smashed four sixes in the last over to propel them to 216/7 in their 20 overs.

The chase was always going to be difficult for CSK and their openers starting slow didn’t help either. Only Faf du Plessis played a sublime knock of 72 runs off 37 balls with seven sixes but no other batsman could stick around with him. MS Dhoni came in to bat late at seven and could only get going in the final over when the game was lost. Eventually, CSK could only reach 200 runs in their 20 overs.

Turning Points

The Samson storm – No prizes for guessing. The talented batsman came to the fore for the Royals who had started slowly in the Powerplay. He took a special liking to Piyush Chawla tearing him apart for 28 runs in his first over and also smacked Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja out of the park. His 32-ball 74 gave a solid base for the Royals stitching 121 runs with Steve Smith for the second wicket.

Archer magic in the last over – Well, Jofra Archer smacking four sixes off Lungi Ngidi turned out to be the major difference in the end. When the final over began, RR’s score was 186. But Archer ripped apart Lungi Ngidi to smash an unbeaten 27 off 8 balls to take the game away from CSK.

Rahul Tewatia, the surprise package – Not many had picked Rahul Tewatia as their top player in the preview. But the leg-spinner bowled extremely well to send back Shane Watson, Sam Curran and Ruturaj Gaikwad when CSK seemed to be gaining momentum in the middle-overs. His figures of 3/37 played a crucial role for RR in their victory.

Records/Personal Milestones

• Steve Smith opened the innings for the first time in 551 innings of his 13-year professional career.
• Rajasthan Royals hit 15 or more sixes for the first time in IPL history. In this innings, their batsmen smacked 17 sixes.

Way ahead for both teams

CSK will next face the Delhi Capitals in their third game on September 25 and will be keen on improving their bowling efforts after this game.

RR, on the other hand, will have to face the Kings XI Punjab who lost their opening game in the super over. The Steve Smith-led side will be looking to continue their winning momentum.