Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson's century went in vain as Punjab Kings prevailed in a thriller in Mumbai on Monday.
There is something with these clashes between Rajasthan Royals and the Punjab Kings as they tend to produce some of the best games in the Indian Premier League (IPL). If 2020 was any indicator where the Royals chased down the 224-run target at Sharjah, the 2021 Mumbai fixture had some more thrills to give.
438 runs were scored by the two teams in total and just four runs could separate the two. The Kings amassed 221 runs in the first innings on the back of skipper KL Rahul's innings of 91 off 50 balls and an explosive knock by Deepal Hooda of 64 runs off just 28 balls.
In reply, Rajasthan Royals didn't have a great start losing all-rounder Ben Stokes in the first over itself, but it was the debutant captain Sanju Samson, who stood up for the men in blue and pink. Samson hit his third century in the IPl but it wasn't enough as the Royals fell short in the final over and couldn't cross the line.
But the nail-biting game did have a few of the records broken by the cricketers on display. Let's take a look at some of them:
1. 1 - Sanju Samson's hundred
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Rajasthan Royals' new skipper Sanju Samson had a great start as a batsman for Rajasthan Royals as he smashed his third IPL century and the second for the men in pink. Samson's century was the first for a captain in the IPL in his first game leading a side. Samson took over Shreyas Iyer's 93*-run knock when he took over in the 2018 mid-season for the then, Delhi Daredevils.
2. 2 - So near, yet so far for Sanju Samson
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By the virtue of the loss, Samson became the second player in the history of the cash-rich league to register a century in an unsuccessful chase. Samson joins the former Royals all-rounder Yusuf Pathan, who scored his fastest IPL hundred off 37 balls in the 2010 season against the Mumbai Indians in a losing cause.
3. 2000 - KL Rahul's milestone playing for Punjab franchise
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Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul became the second player in the history of the IPL to score 2000 runs playing for the Punjab franchise. Following his 91-run knock against the Royals on Monday, Rahul has now aggregated 2013 runs in 43 innings, only behind the former Kings XI Punjab batsman Shaun Marsh, who has amassed 2477 runs playing for the Punjab side.
4. 2 - Deepak Hooda's milestone as an uncapped Indian player
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Deepak Hooda hit a half-century on Monday in just 20 balls against the Rajasthan Royals. It was the second fastest fifty by an Indian uncapped player. The left-handed batsman Ishan Kishan scored the fastest fifty playing for Mumbai Indians against the Kolkata Knight Riders in just 18 balls in the 2018 edition of the IPL.
5. 350 - Chris Gayle's 'maximum' record
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The 41-year old young 'Universe Boss' created yet another record in his name in the IPL. This time, the swashbuckling southpaw became the first batsman in the league to hit 350 sixes. Gayle was on 349 before the game and he hit a couple of them during his 40-run knock. No one is even close to Gayle as second on the list is AB de Villiers with 237 sixes, 114 less than him.
6. 6 - Chetan Sakariya's dream debut
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Saurashtra pacer Chetan Sakariya had a debut to remember as he played his first game in the IPL on Monday, featuring for Rajasthan Royals. the left-arm pacer ended with the figures of 3/31 in his four overs, becoming the sixth Indian pacer to take three wicket-haul on his debut in the IPL.
(All pictures from BCCI / IPL and Rajasthan Royals Twitter)
