“Their best bowler, some say the best T20 spinner in the world, was completely caught off-guard”, Kumar Sangakkara comes up with special words of praise for Sanju Samson after the innings against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023

IPL 2023: With a three-wicket win against the reigning champions Gujarat Titans in Match 23 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the Rajasthan Royals stayed atop the IPL 2023 points table. This was a rematch between these two teams after they met in the final last year, with Hardik Pandya’s squad emerging victorious. 

This time around, Sanju Samson smashed 60 runs off 32 balls as RR chased a 178-run mark in 19.2 overs. Meanwhile, Shimron Hetmyer smashed 56 runs off 26 deliveries during an undefeated knock. Both Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan were on top form with the ball for GT, with Shami claiming three wickets and Khan two scalps.

Initially, David Miller scored 46 runs off 30 deliveries as GT amassed 177/7 in 20 overs. In the meanwhile, RR’s Sandeep Sharma was responsible for two wickets.

Kumar Sangakkara heaped praise on Sanju Samson for smashing Rashid Khan

When RR was four wickets down for 55 runs in the 11th over of their chase, Samson and Hetmyer came through in spectacular fashion. Samson hit three sixes off Rashid Khan in the 13th over, which changed the momentum of the game. The Afghan spinner let up 46 runs in his four-over stint.

RR’s head coach, Kumar Sangakkara, lauded Samson for his unexpected torture of Rashid.

“Skipper, you not just got us through the powerplay but that Rashid Khan over, and then you kicked on from there, that was the game changer. Their best bowler, some say the best T20 spinner in the world, was completely caught off-guard. It just goes to show that when you’re in the game, anything is possible. Whether it’s Rashid Khan, Shane Warne, or Muralitharan. It doesn’t matter when we are in the game. We play the ball, not the man. Brilliantly done”, he said.

With eight points after five games (4 wins, 1 loss), RR is in first place. Match 26 will be played in Jaipur, and they will face the Lucknow Super Giants.

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