IPL 2024: Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants , 4th Match - Who Said What?

Match 4 of IPL 2024 saw the home team, the Rajasthan Royals, emerge victorious against the visitors, the Lucknow Super Giants. Winning the toss, RR's skipper Sanju Samson opted to bat first. The dynamic duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler didn't last long, with both the batters getting dismissed by the culmination of the fifth over. Out came captain Samson, and he struck a splendid 93-run third-wicket partnership with Riyan Parag to uplift his team after a late cameo by wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, RR ended on a competitive total of 193/4 after their quota of 20 overs. 

In response, the Lucknow Super Giants never really found any impetus, with three of their top four batters getting only five runs amongst themselves. Impact Player Deepak Hooda was looking good after lacing two fours and as many maximums, but was undone by Yuzvendra Chahal to grant him his first wicket of the season. LSG's skipper KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran were involved in an 85-run stand for the fifth wicket but courtesy of how RR's bowlers limited the visitors, they ended up falling short by 20 runs.

Also Read: IPL 2024: Devdutt Padikkal's eventful yet struggling return to Sawai Mansingh

1. Spectacular Samson comes to the party

RR's skipper Sanju Samson came all guns blazing by playing a spectacular innings of 82 off 52, which included three fours and twice the number of maximums. He came in the second over and stayed out there in the middle during the entirety of his team's innings, with quite a few of his runs coming in the V.

2. Devdutt Padikkal's eventful return to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium

After representing RR for the last couple of seasons and doing reasonably well for them, the match marked his return to the scenic Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. He would've liked to make a statement comeback against his former employer but was in for quite the ordeal - with him surviving only three deliveries, getting rattled by Trent Boult's bouncer, post which he had his furniture disturbed by a delivery which stayed a touch low.

3. Nicholas Pooran's valiant knock not enough for LSG

Notwithstanding his team's underwhelming performance with the bat, Nicholas Pooran played an electrifying knock of 64* (41), which was laced with four fours and as many sixes. He tried his best to resurrect his team's chances by partnering with skipper Rahul for a fighting fifth-wicket partnership, but it wasn't sufficient in the end, as his team fell short of the home team's target by 20 runs.

Losing skipper KL Rahul: 

"I don't think the target was a lot; it was just ten over-par. We bowled well in patches. Not making too much out of it. Just made a few mistakes. Mohsin was our powerplay bowler in the first season, but he wasn't fully fit last season. Good to see him back. Naveen has been crucial for us since he has come in. Powerplay is crucial for every team, and I don't think any team has cracked it yet. We'll made from the small mistakes we made. When we are three [down] for nothing, and we give ourselves a chance of chasing 194 speaks of our line-up... We need to find ways to win games of cricket. We'll try to build from here, and see where we can get stronger. Langer's brought a lot of calmness to the group. I stole his line when I said we need to find ways to win games of cricket. We enjoy having him around. All of us have watched him coach Australia to a T20 World Cup and an Ashes victory. When you get runs, you always feel good. But it's important for us to end up on the winning side. That gives more satisfaction. Missing a season was really painful."

Winning skipper and Player of the Match Sanju Samson:

"It's always great fun to spend time in the middle. This time I have been a different role, with a slightly different combination. Sanga has given me suggestions... I have been playing IPL for ten years, so there's experience coming in. Good start, but let's see how it goes. It's all about understanding your strengths and weakness. I just react to the ball. That helps me maintain the shape. I think I should give the trophy to Sandeep Sharma. I wouldn't have been standing here [but for him]... I thought of calling him, but then thought it would be a bit too much! Everyone chipped in well. We just had to stick to our plans." 

Also Read: This was the first time that my parents came to watch my match: Harshit Rana