In the IPL 2023 match between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings on Wednesday, Sanju Samson shattered a record made by India veteran Ajinkya Rahane. In the match played at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, the Rajasthan Royals skipper started his innings with a six to leave behind Rahane in the list.
Before the match, Samson was just two runs short of becoming the leading run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals in T20 games. By hitting a six, Samson scored 3102 runs and surpassed former RR player, Rahane who scored 3096 runs to top the list. Interestingly, In IPL, Samson is already the leading run-scorer for RR.
Here's the list of the top 5 run scorers for RR in T20s:
- Sanju Samson - 3130* runs
- Ajinkya Rahane - 3098 runs
- Shane Watson - 2474 runs
- Jos Buttler - 2377 runs
- Rahul Dravid - 1324 runs
Earlier in the match, Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to bowl. Punjab Kings set a target of 198 runs. It's worth noting that Guwahati is hosting the first IPL game by being the home ground for Rajasthan Royals. The pitch at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium is a batting paradise. There have been no IPL games played at the venue and only 3 T20Is have been held here. The previous T20I held here was between India and South Africa and that witnessed 458 runs being scored for the loss of 6 wickets.
Rajasthan Royals Playing XI
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal
Punjab Kings Playing XI
Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prabhsimran Singh(w), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh