Sanju Samson led Rajasthan Royals to a comfortable 4-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday. The win gave RR a chance to qualify for the IPL 2024 finals.Rajasthan Royals won the toss and asked RCB to bat first in Ahmedabad. The well-established pair of Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis opened the innings for RCB. The Bengaluru-based franchise lost their first wicket in the powerplay when skipper Faf Du Plessis (17 off 14 balls) was dismissed by Trent Boult in the 4th over. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli, who has been in excellent form this season, couldn't make much of an impact either and was dismissed for 33 in the 8th over of the match. Cameron Green (27 off 21) and Rajat Patidar (34 off 22) then put on a partnership for the next 5 overs but the wickets of Green, Patidar and Maxxwell in quick succession gave RCB a big jolt and they couldn't recover from there. However, a crucial knock from Mahipal Lomror (32 off 17 balls) and a cameo from Swapnil Singh (9 off 4 balls) helped RCB post a sub-par but still respectable total of 172/8 in their 20 overs. In reply, RR opened the batting with Tom Kohler-Cadmore alongside the aggressive Yashasvi Jaiswal. Both batsmen provided a solid start to the RR innings until Cadmore was dismissed for 20 in the final over of the powerplay. Jaiswal's aggressiveness and skipper Sanju Samson's support helped Rajasthan Royals cross the 80-run mark in less than 10 overs, but the quick wickets of Jaiswal and Samson just before the halfway mark put RR in a tight spot in the first eliminator. The wicket of Dhruv Jurel (8) in the 14th over of the match made things even more precarious for the Rajasthan franchise. However, a crucial partnership between Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmeyer helped RR get a grip on the scoring rate and set them on course for victory. Mohammed Siraj added a much-needed twist to the proceedings when he dismissed both the settled batsmen in the 18th over to keep the contest wide open. A brilliant knock from Rovman Powell in the next over, however, saw RR cross the line and book a place in the second qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday. You are on Mint! India's #1 news destination (Source: Press Gazette). To learn more about our business coverage and market insights Click Here! OPEN IN APP Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Catch the live action on IPL 2024 with the complete IPL Schedule, and their IPL Points Table, also know who currently holds the IPL Purple Cap and IPL Orange Cap. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
