IPL 2024 - Sanju Samson's season opener delight; notches another 50 for RR

When one talks about the Indian Premier League (IPL), especially the season openers, there are few people who come to mind - one being Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson. It is a well-known fact that the wicketkeeper-batter will start the season with a good knock, and he did the same in the 2024 edition against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

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At their home ground at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Samson reached his 50 in 33 balls, marking his 21st IPL half-century. What is even more interesting is that he has scored 50+ runs in every opening game since IPL 2020, and fans are surely loving it.

Samson's performances in his first match of an IPL season since 2020 have been notable:

74 (32) vs CSK 2020

119 (63) vs PK 2021

55 (27) vs SRH 2022

55 (32) vs SRH 2023

50* (33) vs LSG 2024

Netizens took to social media, particularly X (formerly known as Twitter), to express how delightful it is to see Samson in form. 

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However, many are hoping he can maintain the same form throughout the tournament, as performances during the business end of the tournament will be more critical, especially keeping the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 selection in mind.

As for the IPL clash, after 16 overs, RR scored 149 runs and lost their three wickets after opting to bat. Jos Buttler departed for 11, while Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 24 before being dismissed. While writing this article, RR even lost the wicket of Riyan Parag for 43. LSG pacer Naveen-ul-Haq claimed two wickets while Mohsin Khan had one to his name.

Teams:

Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): KL Rahul(c/w), Quinton de Kock, Devdutt Padikkal, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal.