Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals (RR) punched their ticket to the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 with a 7-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2nd qualifier. Asked to chase down a target of 158, RR rode on Jos Buttler’s century to scale the chase.
Buttler, who is in the form of his life in the ongoing season, remained unbeaten for 106 off 60 balls. His knock included 10 fours and 6 sixes. After adding 61 runs for the first wicket with Yashasvi Jaiswal in only 5.1 overs, Buttler partnered with Sanju Samson (23 off 21) to propel the innings.
At one stage, it looked like the duo might complete the job but Samson got stumped by Wanindu Hasaranga. The RR skipper jumped down the track in hope of a big shot and ended up getting stumped. Following the fixture, India legend Sachin Tendulkar shared his take on Samson’s dismissal and opined that it was an unnecessary shot by him.
“Sanju ended up playing a couple of really good shots. But the way he got out to Hasaranga, if I am not mistaken for the sixth time, it was an unnecessary shot. He could have avoided that stroke and the game could have finished even earlier,” the Master Blaster said on his YouTube channel.
Samson’s wicket didn’t have much impact on RR’s chase as Buttler continued to hold one end. But the situation could have been different had Dinesh Karthik caught the Orange Cap-holder when he was batting on 66.
With a win in the 2nd qualifier, RR have made it to their first IPL final since 2008 and will square off against Gujarat Titans in the grand finale on Sunday (May 29). The Rajasthan-based franchise had won the inaugural edition of the T20 league under Shane Warne’s captaincy.
