Rajasthan Royals batter Sanju Samson plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on May 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Former Australian opener Mathew Hayden is mighty impressed with the IPL performance of Sanju Samson and has lauded the T20 World Cup-bound power-hitter for “handling both spin and pace with finesse”.

Samson was in his elements on Tuesday when he nearly guided Rajasthan Royals to a win over Delhi Capitals with his 86-run knock. The visitors eventually fell short by 20 runs. He is currently third on the top-scorers chart with 471 runs in 11 matches so far.

“Sanju Samson was batting like a dream, scoring 86 off 46 balls. He’s proven his worth time and again…Throughout the tournament, he’s been a master blaster, handling both spin and pace with finesse,” Hayden told Star Sports.

“He times his innings well. He’s got the power. And the power is a big thing in T20 cricket. Yet, what stands out is his commitment to his team. He just needed a bit of luck, especially towards the end of the match,” he added.

Samson, who is the captain of Rajasthan Royals, has taken the second wicketkeeper’s slot in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup starting June 1 in the Americas.

Former India cricketer Varun Aaron also praised his performance.

“I think Sanju Samson has been batting really well. Bowlers are keen on dismissing him, evident from their reluctance to bowl bouncers despite being allowed two per over in this IPL.

“Interestingly, the over he got out, Khaleel Ahmed bowled the first bouncer to him in the match. This seemed to disrupt his footwork, as the subsequent wide slow ball, which he typically dispatches for six over covers, resulted in his dismissal,” he said.

Rajasthan Royals batsman Riyan Parag plays a shot during the Indian Premier League 2024 match against Delhi Capitals in Jaipur on March 28, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Young Riyan Parag showed why he is considered a precocious talent as he struck a stunning 84 not out off 45 balls to set up a 12-run win for Rajasthan Royals against Delhi Capitals in their IPL match here on Thursday.

Sent in to bat, RR were reduced to 36 for 3 in the eighth over but the 22-year-old Parag single-handedly took the home side to 185 for 5 with a magnificent unbeaten knock studded with seven fours and six sixes.

Parag, who was promoted to number 4 by the team management this season and made 43 in the previous match, took 25 runs off veteran South African pacer Anrich Nortje with scores of 4, 4, 6, 4, 6, 1 in the final over to hit his highest T20 score.

Chasing 186 for a win, DC could only manage 173 for 5 in 20 overs though South African youngster Tristan Stubbs (44 not out off 23 balls) kept them in the hunt till the final over from which they needed 17 runs.

Avesh Khan conceded just four runs to help RR win their second consecutive match.

South African pacer Nandre Burger and Yuzvendra Chahal took two wickets apiece to also contribute in the RR win.

“Definitely disappointed. The best thing to do from here is to learn from it. The bowlers did well through the 15-16 overs. But the batters did well at the death, hopefully we do better in the next game,” DC skipper Rishabh Pant said.

DC were reduced to 34 for 2 in the fourth over with Burger taking two wickets in three balls in a fine display of fast bowling.

Burger, who was brought in as Impact Sub for Shimron Hetmyer, dismissed opener Mitchell Marsh (23 off 12 balls) and Ricky Bhui (0) in the fourth over.

DC captain Rishabh Pant came out to bat at the fall of Bhui’s wicket and along with senior batter David Warner built the innings without taking too much risk. Delhi were 89 for 2 at the halfway stage.

Warner was the more aggressive one as he got the boundaries to keep DC in the hunt. The senior Australian batter fell one run short of his fifty courtesy a brilliant diving catch by Sandeep Sharma off the bowling of Avesh in the 12th over.

Warner and Pant were involved in a crucial 67-run partnership for the third wicket.

Playing in his 100th IPL match and 14 months after a horrible car crash, Pant tried to build the innings with occasional boundaries. But he got out for a 26-ball 28 as Chahal induced a faint lower edge for Sanju Samson to do the rest behind the stumps in the 14th over.

The asking rate shot up to more than 13 runs an over and DC needed 66 from the last five overs.

Stubbs kept DC in the game with two consecutive sixes off Ravichandran Ashwin in the 17th over, but in the end the Delhi side were short by 12 runs.

They needed 34 runs from the final two overs which they could not get. It was DC’s second consecutive loss.

Earlier, Parag shared 54 and 52 runs respectively with Ravichandran Ashwin (29) and Dhruv Jurel (20) after RR made a shaky start.

Royals captain Samson struck three consecutive boundaries in the fourth over bowled by pacer Mukesh Kumar before nicking a Khaleel Ahmed delivery two overs later to Pant to get out for 15.

RR were 30 for 2 by then as Mukesh had given DC their first breakthrough with the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal (5).

The Royals were in more trouble after wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav literally forced his captain Pant to take a review, which later proved to be successful, to dismiss Englishman Jos Buttler for an LBW decision.

Ashwin came out to bat at number five and he lofted a Kuldeep delivery for a six to help RR reach 58 for 3 at halfway stage. He gave Nortje even a harsher treatment with two sixes in the next over that yielded 15 runs.

Ashwin, however, holed out to Tristan Stubbs near the boundary ropes for a 19-ball 29.

Parag then made his presence felt, striking two boundaries and a six off Ahmed to take RR past 100 in the 15th over.

Brief Scores:

Rajasthan Royals: 185 for 5 in 20 overs (Riyan Parag 84 not out; Axar Patel 1/21).

Delhi Capitals: 173 for 5 in 20 overs (David Warner 49; Nandre Burger 2/29, Yuzvendra Chahal 2/19).