Players of Rajasthan Royals attend a training session ahead of their IPL match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Courtesy: RR X

Rajasthan Royals look to get a step closer to qualifying for the playoffs when they meet Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.

The Rajasthan continued their winning run away from home with a seven-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their previous game last week. Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel scored unbeaten half-centuries to pilot the Rajasthan’s chase after Sandeep Sharma picked up two wickets with the ball.

Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 78 runs in their last match at Chennai on Sunday.

Skipper Samson is the Rajasthan’s top scorer in IPL 2024 with 385 runs from nine matches averaging 77.00 and striking at an impressive rate of 161.08. Riyan Parag has accumulated 332 runs from eight visits to the crease at an average of 55.33 and a strike rate of 159.61.

Yuzvendra Chahal has picked up 13 wickets from nine matches and is currently the joint second-highest wicket-taker this season whereas Trent Boult has 10 wickets from nine outings.

Rajasthan continue their reign at the top of the standings with 16 points and a net run rate of +0.694. The Rajasthan have won eight out of their nine matches so far this season.

Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad have also played nine games this season, winning five and losing four. SRH are currently fifth in the IPL standings with 10 points and an NRR of +0.075, reported by Rajasthan Royals.

The Rajasthan have won four of their last five matches whereas SRH have won three out of their last five games, coming into Thursday’s game.

Samson continued making merry in the tournament as he notched up his fourth half-century, the joint-most by any player so far this season, in the Rajasthan’s last game against LSG. The skipper had to navigate a tricky phase as the Rajasthan slid from 60/0 to 78/3, before opening up to score seven boundaries and four maximums in his unbeaten 33-ball 71.

Samson has remained unbeaten in his last two innings helping the Rajasthan see off the chases, first against Mumbai Indians and then versus LSG, successfully with his calm presence. He added an unbroken 121 runs off just 62 balls, a record fourth-wicket stand for the Rajasthan, with Jurel.

The Rajasthan have the most century partnerships among all teams in IPL 2024 with four hundred-plus stands this season. That Samson has been involved in each of them, with two unbroken, shows the composure and form he has been in, throughout the tournament this year.

The skipper, with 791 runs from 21 matches at an average of 49.43, is also the highest run-getter against SRH in the IPL.

Jurel brought up his maiden fifty en route to making his highest score in the IPL. He too remained unbeaten with 52 off 34 balls. Jurel scored five fours and two sixes including a 20-run over off Mohsin Khan to get the Rajasthan’s chase on track as they won with an over to spare.

For the second match in a row, the Rajasthan’s bowlers put up a great show especially during the powerplay and in the death overs. Bowling first, Boult and Sandeep reduced LSG to 11/2 in two overs. The left-arm pacer now has five first-over wickets this season.

The duo along with Avesh Khan conceded just 25 runs in the final three overs and that too with an additional fielder inside the 30-yard circle in the final over. The Rajasthan’s death-bowling has been the best in terms of runs conceded, giving away an average of 10.2 runs an over in the last five-over period.

Agencies