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Samson, Boult star as Royals overpower Lucknow Super Giants

Published

2 years ago

2024/03/24

Priyan

Sanju Samson's 82 powered Rajasthan Royals to a strong total (BCCI)

Sanju Samson led from the front with an unbeaten 82 from 52 balls as Rajasthan Royals opened their IPL campaign with a hard-earned 20-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur.

After winning the toss for his team, Samson’s knock was the mainstay of Royals’ imposing 193 for 4, and a tight contest hadn’t seemed remotely likely when Trent Boult and Nandre Burger reduced LSG to 11 for 3 in the first four overs of their reply.

However, KL Rahul – on his return from injury – teamed up with Nicholas Pooran to take the chase deep in a fifth-wicket stand of 85 from 52 balls that ended from the first ball of the 17th over, as Sandeep Sharma popped up with a priceless spell of death bowling that left LSG with too much to do.

With 38 still needed from 12 balls, Sandeep’s penultimate over was arguably even more important, as he limited the hard-swinging Pooran to just a brace of boundaries in an 11-run over, allowing Avesh Khan to close out the contest with ease. Pooran finished unbeaten on 64 from 41 balls.

Samson certainly knows how to launch an IPL campaign in style. For the fifth consecutive IPL campaign, dating back to 2020, he opened Royals’ account with a half-century, this time in an innings featuring three fours and six sixes, the best of which – from the penultimate ball of the innings – was a formidable inside-out drill over extra cover from Mohsin Khan.

The bulk of Samson’s work was done in the course of a 93-run stand with Riyan Parag that spanned 62 balls and bridged a potentially tricky period at the end of the powerplay, in which Jos Buttler’s streaky 11 from nine balls, and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s more focussed cameo of 24 from 12, had telegraphed a potentially tricky pitch for comfortable strokeplay.

Certainly, LSG’s spinners found some purchase on the cracked, dry surface. Krunal Pandya, on his 33rd birthday, wheeled through his four boundary-less overs for 19, and could have dismissed Parag for a golden duck when he induced a leading edge back down the pitch, only for Samson at the non-striker’s end to get in the way, completely inadvertently, as he stood his ground with the ball lobbing towards his helmet.

Both men, however, stepped up their intensity after the strategic time-out, when the extra pace of Yash Thakur entered the fray. Three sixes poured forth in a 21-run over, including back-to-back pulls from Samson off undercooked bouncers, and after bringing up Royals’ 100 with another six off Ravi Bishnoi in the 11th over, Samson marched onto his fifty from 33 balls – by which stage Parag should have been removed for 29, only for Mohsin at square leg to make a hash of a top-edged sweep.

Boult and first-over wickets are a staple of the IPL experience. This time, it was Quinton de Kock in his sights at the top of the powerplay, his 24th such victim – second only to Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 27 – and it set in motion a catastrophic top-order implosion for LSG.

De Kock’s only scoring shot was a classy punch down the ground to a full-length outswinger, but when Boult fired one into his legs in the same over, he lured a loose flick in the air to Burger at backward fine leg.

Two balls into his second, Boult struck again, delivering a merciless one-two to Devdutt Padikkal, to ensure his reunion with his former Royals team-mates was a miserable one. A sharp bouncer pinged Padikkal’s helmet and sent his neck-guard spinning; Boult’s follow-up skidded through low and pegged back his middle and leg stumps as he flapped loosely across the line from deep in the crease.

And LSG reached their nadir one ball into the fourth over, as Burger – the most literal impact sub imaginable – fired down a 147kph delivery that Ayush Badoni could only spoon to Buttler at mid-off. At 11 for 3, the fightback would have to be a remarkable one.

It’s a tricky time for Rahul across formats. In the absence of Virat Kohli, he had looked set to be the wise old head in India’s Test team, until his untimely injury against England opened the door for the same generation of young guns who are pushing him to the fringes in the white-ball set-up too.

And so, his innings of 58 from 44 balls was an important reminder of his enduring class, albeit his dismissal at the start of the 17th over, caught at deep cover moments after the strategic time-out, effectively spelt the end of LSG’s challenge, with first Marcus Stoinis and then Pandya unable to find their timing from the get-go. The fact that he took the gloves, ahead of both Quinton de Kock and Pooran, was arguably a sign of his desire to remind the India selectors of his enduring versatility.

Either way, while it lasted, Rahul’s knock provided, first, the stability his team so desperately needed, and latterly the power to stay in touch with a run rate that was pushing two a ball by the tenth over. His own contribution at that point had been a run-a-ball 26, but in crashing the dangerous Burger for 6, 4, 4 from his next three deliveries, he rushed towards a 35-ball fifty, and signalled a charge that would not fizzle until his departure.

Deepak Hooda, LSG’s impact sub, has come and gone with a degree of purpose too, making 26 from 13 balls before taking on Yuzvendra Chahal, into the breeze, and holing out at deep midwicket. But it took Pooran’s more focussed power to truly ignite his team’s belief.

At 102 for 4 in the 12th over, Boult returned for his final over as Royals strove for the partnership-breaking wicket. Pooran was waiting to take him down in a 20-run over that finished with a low full-toss being smashed over wide long-on for six.

Sandeep, however, was still lurking up Samson’s sleeve, and his introduction proved pivotal. His first over, in the 15th of the innings, stemmed the flow of boundaries with just five singles, one of which could have been a direct-hit run-out. And when, in his second, Rahul chased his wide line to pick out Dhruv Jurel in the deep, Royals had seized back control.

Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 193 for 4 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 24, Sanju Samson 82*, Riyan Parag 43, Dhruv Jurel 20*; Mohsin Khan 1-45, Naveen-ul-Haq 2-45, Ravi Bishnoi 1-38 ) beat Lucknow Super Giants 173 for 6 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 64*, KL Rahul 58, Seepak Hooda 26, Trent Boult 2-35, Nandre Burger 1-30, Ravichandran Ashwin 1-35, Yuzvendra Chahal 1-25, Sandeep Sharma 1-22 ) by 20 runs

(Cricinfo)

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Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Rashid power Gujarat Titans to second spot with fourth straight win

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/10

Priyan

Shubman Gill and Jason Holder celebrate Jofra Archer's wicket [Cricinfo]

Twenty-eight overs into the contest in Jaipur, Rajasthan Royals (RR) were keeping pace with Gujarat Titans (GT). They were 86 for 3 in seven overs, chasing 230. Dhruv Jurel looked like he had excised his slow-batting demons. He was on 24 off 9 and ready to go bigger. Then, Rashid Khan spun one past Jurel’s slog to peg back his stumps. It was the first of his four wickets. On a night of spin chokeholds by both RR and GT, Rashid’s spell of 4 for 36 was the point of difference between both sides.

At the end of it all, GT zoomed up to second spot in the points table with 14 points. It was their fourth consecutive win, as they continued their late surge in this IPL.

Earlier in the evening, half-centuries from Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudarshan – and their 118-run opening partnership – headlined GT’s biggest IPL score outside Ahmedabad. They had been greeted by an all-pink Jaipur. RR’s jerseys were the same colour, in honour of their women’s empowerment movement. By the end of the powerplay, Gill and Sudharsan couldn’t have felt more at home themselves. They had raced away to 82 for 0, and alongside Rashid’s spell, they headlined a 77-run win.

Jofra Archer took 11 deliveries to get through the first over of the match. It featured nine extras and was the longest opening over in the history of the tournament. By the end of it, Gill and Sai Sudharsan – without taking any big risks – had raced away to 18 for no loss. This was the theme of the powerplay: the opening pair kept getting balls on their pads or bouncers shooting way over their heads. They played most of their shots in the ‘V’ down the ground. By the end of the first six, they were just 18 runs away from their ninth 100-plus partnership, the second-best tally in the IPL, just behind Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

Despite their big start, Gill and Sai Sudharsan slowed down in characteristic fashion. Both of them reached their fifties off 30 balls. Yash Raj Punja (1 for 37) and Ravindra Jadeja (1 for 34) did not find much turn off the surface, but bowling in tandem through the middle overs, they cut off the risk-free boundary options for the opening pair.

A leg injury while running between wickets affected Gill’s running as well. Punja took out Sai Sudharsan for 55 off 36, holing out to long-on, and Jadeja speared in a delivery to Jos Buttler at 107kph to rush him on a drive straight to long-off.

After GT’s whirlwind start, 220 was a base expectation from their innings. By the end of the 19th over, they were on track to finish under it, stuck on 208 for 4. Brijesh Sharma had plucked out Jason Holder’s wicket and given away just four runs in the 19th, varying his pace and bowling into the blockhole. However, his gold-dust over was reduced to a footnote when Tushar Deshpande missed his lines in the last over. Rahul Tewatia maneuvered around the crease to leather back-to-back sixes, before Washington Sundar hit one of his own to drag GT to 229 for 4.

It is the stuff of routine now. The bowler chugs in, bowls a perfectly okay delivery, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi sends him into the stands first-ball. Saturday night was no different, as Sooryavanshi clobbered Mohammed Siraj across the line over the long-on boundary. Next ball, a Siraj yorker rifled towards the stumps, and Sooryavanshi inside-edged onto his foot and fell to the ground.

Sooryavanshi looked set for another big start, despite limping between wickets, blasting Siraj for three fours in four deliveries. On the fifth delivery, he was rushed into a hook off a fiery bouncer that carried to square leg. In the blink of an eye, Sooryavanshi went from zero to 16-ball 36, then from the middle to the dugout.

Siraj (1 for 55) and Kagiso Rabada (2 for 33) became the first pair of IPL bowlers to bowl through the powerplay four matches in a row. Jurel ventured down the track to plunder a 22-run over against Siraj before the powerplay ended. Rashid would pluck him out soon anyway.

With Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal gone, the onus was on Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja – who clobbered six and four off his first two deliveries – to play against type and shift into fifth gear. But Rashid got the ball to jag and turn off a pitch like no other spinner on the night. He also bowled more legbreaks than googlies – a rarity for him – to keep the batters guessing.

Once Jurel perished, Donovan Ferreira saw the ball turn the other way, past an innocuous front-foot defence. Harsh Dubey soon went for another missed slog, Rashid’s third consecutive dismissal to rattle the stumps. Rashid wore a wry smile when Jadeja swiped him over backward square leg for six in the 14th over. Next ball, Jadeja was trapped lbw in front of the stumps as the ball spun into his pads.

Holder soon mopped up the tail, taking the final three wickets in five deliveries and RR had lost their third game in four matches.

Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 229 for 4 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 55, Shubman Gill 84, Joss Buttler 13, Washington Sundar 37*, Rahul Tewatia 14*; Brijesh Sharma 2-47, Yash Raj Punja 1-37, Ravindra Jadeja 1-34) beat Rajasthan Royals 152/10 in 16.3 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 36, Dhruv Jurel 24, Ravindra Jadeja, 38, Shubham Dubey 15, Dasun Shanaka 16; Mohammed Siraj 1-15, KagisoRabada 2-33, Rashid Khan 4-33, Jason Holder 3-12) by 77 runs

[Cricinfo]

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Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, Uva, North-western and Northern provinces and in Anuradhapura district.

Published

6 hours ago

2026/05/10

Priyan

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 10 MAY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 10 May 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

The low-level atmospheric disturbance in the vicinity of Sri Lanka is likely to develop into a low-pressure area around 11th of May. Therefore, the prevailing showery conditions over the island are expected to continue during the next few days.

Showers or thundershowers will occur at most places over the island, and cloudy skies are expected over the island. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, Uva, North-western and Northern provinces and in Anuradhapura district.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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Debutant Awais leads Pakistan’s strong reply after Abbas five-for

Published

14 hours ago

2026/05/9

Priyan

Mohammad Abbas walks back after bagging a five-for [BCB]

Bangladesh commanded proceedings on the first day, but Pakistan changed that around dramatically on the second, led by the youngest member of the team. Azan Awais, making his debut, steered Pakistan into a position of relative comfort in a century partnership alongside Imam-ul-Haq and then another solid stand with fellow debutant Abdullah Fazal.

By the end of the day, Awais had taken his side to 179 for the loss of just Imam’s wicket. Awais had contributed an unbeaten 85, nearing a debut hundred on the third morning. As a result, Pakistan were only another 234 runs behind with nine wickets standing after Bangladesh posted 413.

The confidence and poise he demonstrated across the last session was not immediately obvious when thrown in for an awkward ten overs before tea. The first ball Nahid Rana bowled to him was a wicked short delivery that reared up and hit him square on the badge of the helmet. With Awais visibly dazed, the physio was called and a concussion test began, one he looked in real danger of failing. Batting on, Awais briefly called for the physio again shortly after, but was allowed to stay on.

And once he did, there was no looking back. While Imam remained fidgety, Awais began to demonstrate why he has been the most prolific domestic run-scorer in Pakistan across the last two seasons. A delicious cover drive off Nahid showed his refusal to back down under the stern test. Awais’ ability to force Bangladesh to spread the field kept the hosts unsettled as he found boundaries through the covers, either side of the wicket, and straight down the ground.

Imam’s dismissal, an arm ball from Mehidy Hasan Miraz, appeared to have little impact on Awais’ own confidence. In the final hour during Nitish’s last burst, he pitched the first two balls short, with Awais dispatching them for boundaries either side. When Nahid went full at 147.1kph off the following delivery, Awais merely flicked him to fine leg to make it three in a row. It was the last time Nahid would bowl on the day.

It helped, perhaps, that Fazal showed he was comfortable at the crease during a crucial phase in the game. It was an attritional innings, but crucially, one that has not come to an end. It may easily have ended in the final ten minutes, though, when Bangladesh put down a chance off Taskin at third slip – the second such reprieve for a Pakistan batter after a nick from Imam was grassed earlier.

But the position these young batters found themselves in would not have been possible without an old hand. Mohammad Abbas had said Pakistan had been slightly unlucky on the first day, and then played an instrumental part turning that luck around on the second morning. Four wickets to add to Friday’s one gave the fast bowler a five-wicket haul that undid some of the damage Bangladesh inflicted on Pakistan on day one, thus bowling them out for 413.

It was still the highest first-innings score Bangladesh have ever managed against Pakistan, though it fell short of what they may have hoped when they looked solid at 338 for 4, before losing 5 for 46.

Earlier, Bangladesh had threatened to run away after Litton Das struck three boundaries off Shaheen Shah Afridi’s first three balls. But Pakistan managed to rein the scoring rate back in. It set the stage for Abbas to try and get something out of a pitch his compatriots appeared to have written off for dead.

Always searching for unconventional ways to gain an edge, he surprised Litton Das with a bouncer that, despite his modest pace, grew big on the batter as he tried to mow it over mid-on. Litton found Amad Butt, the substitute fielder, stationed there, and he took a splendid catch for Pakistan’s first success in the morning.

Shortly after, Abbas added a second wicket in the morning as Mehidy Hasan Miraz tried to transfer pressure back onto him. A six off the previous delivery emboldened the batter to scythe him through point, but Mehidy only found Imam’s safe hands.

It appeared Bangladesh had decided to take Pakistan on from one end while Mushfiqur Rahim shepherded them from the other. Taijul Islam went after Hasan Ali in a little cameo that sped up the scoring rate, but, again, found himself succumbing to the unlikely Abbas bumper that he failed to get on top of.

The other quicks finally jumped in to help. Shaheen Shah Afridi broke the innings open by ending Mushfiqur’s stubborn resistance on 71 with a lovely nipping ball post-lunch. But Abbas was not denied his fifth – it was yet another bouncer that Ebadot Hossain could not handle and nicked off to. Bangladesh found a way to get over the 400 mark with a breezy cameo from Taskin Ahmed, who scored 28 off 19 balls, and added 29 with last batter Nahid.

Awais, along with Imam, then came out to bat an hour before tea. He then led the way in ensuring Pakistan’s goals in this Test are far loftier than mere survival.

Brief scores:
Pakistan 179 for 1 in 46 overs (Azan Awais 85*, Imam-ul-Haq 45, Abdullah Fazal 37*; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 1-37) trail Bangladesh 413 in 117.1 overs (Najmul Hosein Shanto 101, Mominul Haq 91, Mushfiqur Rahim 71; Mohammed Abbas 5-92, Shaheen ShahnAfridi 3-113) by 234 runs