Runners-up in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rajasthan Royals (RR) finally avenged their heartbreaking defeat of last year’s final on Sunday as Sanju Samson's men outclassed Gujarat Titans (GT) to record their first-ever win over the defending champions in the cash-rich tournament. Half-centuries from skipper Samson and Shimron Hetmyer propelled RR to a famous win over GT in match No. 23 of the IPL 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Reflecting on RR's thrilling win over the defending champions, legendary cricketer Harbhajan Singh lauded Samson for playing a captain's knock for the Men In Pink. Leading the visitors from the front, Samson played a quick-fire knock to make sure RR finish ahead of GT in the replay of the IPL 2022 final on Sunday. With Samson guiding RR to a memorable win, Harbhajan opined that the Rajasthan skipper should regularly feature in the Indian national team.
The former Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star also gave legendary Indian cricketer MS Dhoni a special mention while praising Samson. "We've seen another captain's knock from Sanju. I have said in the past and still believe that he should be a regular feature in the Indian national side (in white ball format). He plays spinners and fast bowlers with equal ease. He knows how to absorb pressure and is a strong-willed player. He has faith in his abilities, just like MS Dhoni," Harbhajan told Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}The former Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star also gave legendary Indian cricketer MS Dhoni a special mention while praising Samson. "We've seen another captain's knock from Sanju. I have said in the past and still believe that he should be a regular feature in the Indian national side (in white ball format). He plays spinners and fast bowlers with equal ease. He knows how to absorb pressure and is a strong-willed player. He has faith in his abilities, just like MS Dhoni," Harbhajan told Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}Samson smashed a hat-trick of sixes against spin wizard Rashid Khan to turn the tie on its head. Power-hitter Samson smoked 6 sixes and struck three fours in his entertaining knock of 60 off 32 balls against Pandya's Gujarat Titans. Riding on Samson's crucial knock, Hetmyer-starrer RR defeated the defending champions by 3 wickets. Samson also became the first RR batter to complete 3,000 runs for the Rajasthan-based franchise in IPL. Rajasthan Royals not only ended their winless run against GT, but the former champions also retained the top spot on the IPL 2023 points table with their recent triumph at Ahmedabad.