Sanju Samson smashed the highest individual score of this season’s IPL with 92 of just 45 balls which included an astounding 10 maximums as the Rajasthan Royals posted a mammoth 217 for 4 in their allotted 20 overs after being put into bat by Virat Kohli.
In reply, RCB lost wickets at crucial times during the innings and fell short by 19 runs. Shreyas Gopal was the star for Rajasthan with the ball as he finished with 2 for 22 in his 4 overs.
The 23-year-old Samson became the tournament’s leading scorer in the process, taking the orange cap. Along with Jos Buttler who scored 23 of 14 balls and Rahul Tripathi who had a cameo of 14 from 5, he combined with them for an incredible 88 runs in the final 5 overs to set the Royal Challengers Bangalore a target that had never been chased in IPL history.
Samson, who was measured in his approach in the beginning of his innings, scored 42 runs off his first 30 balls as he and Englishman Ben Stokes put on a 49-run partnership for the 3rd wicket after losing Ajinkya Rahane and D’Arcy Short within the first 7 overs.
In the post-match presentation, when Sanju Samson who was named the man of the match was asked about his performance, he said, “First of all, I feel very grateful to play this tournament every 2 months of the year. To come here and play (the) amazing game of cricket in (this) beautiful stadium against people like AB de Villiers an Virat Kohli and playing an innings like this is a dream come true.
Umesh Yadav who had one of his best bowling performances in RCB’s previous game bore the brunt of the final onslaught. He finished his 4 overs having conceded 59 runs. Yuzvendra Chahal was exceptional with the ball for Bangalore after picking up 2 wickets in his 4 overs and only conceded 22 runs.
Requiring a record-breaking performance, RCB was given hope by its captain and star batsman Virat Kohli who scored the quickest 50 of his T20 career to give RCB a chance of chasing the improbable target. But, when he along with De Villiers fell within a span of a couple of overs, the contest was all but over.
Washington Sundar with 35 and Mandeep Singh with 47 had a late flurry as they took RCB to 198 for 6 in 20 overs.