The Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals encounter was always going to be a high profile one. Given the kind of history both franchises share, we all knew that this game will be a high voltage game. Chennai Super Kings after winning the toss put Rajasthan Royals to bat first at Sharjah. Since the pitch had no layer of grass over it, it was expected that we would see lots of runs being scored in today’s game.

Batting first Rajasthan Royals posted a target of 217 all thanks to a sublime batting display by Steven Smith and Sanju Samson as they notched up the majority of the runs on the board. In the lead up to the chase, Chennai Super Kings were off to a good start.

Both openers Murali Vijay and Shane Watson took Chennai off to a decent start. But that’s when the stumble started, as both openers along with Ruturaj Gaikwad and  Sam Curran lost their wickets in quick succession. In the follow-up, Faf Du Plessis and Kedar Jadhav tried to get things under CSK’s control with a couple of big overs.

In the end, Chennai failed to chase down the huge target of 217 runs as Rajasthan triumphed over them. The late blitz by MS Dhoni wasn’t enough as Rajasthan won the match by 16 runs.

Also read: Sakshi Dhoni Slams Umpiring Standards in IPL After Another Blunder During CSK vs RR

My Game Plan Is To Stand And Deliver – Samson

Much of the credit for posting such a huge total goes to Sanju Samson who is also the man of the match of the game. Samson said that he follows a simple mantra of stand and deliver. He believes to have that intent to hit the ball if its there to be hit.

“My game plan is to stand and deliver. If it’s in the arc I go for it, and it’s very important to keep the intent to hit the ball if it’s there to be hit. I’ve been working hard on my fitness, diet and training, and on my strength, because my game relies a lot on power hitting.”

He further mentioned how he had time to work on his fitness in the last 5 months which has increased his ability to hit big shots. On being asked about keeping wickets, Sanju Samson said that the other two keepers in the side (Buttler & Uthappa) also like to keep wickets too but its the coach who decides who gets to keep for the side.

“I think range-hitting is what the game demands in this generation. I had time to work out in these 5 months, and I think I’ve increased that ability. Everyone likes to keep wickets (about Buttler and Uthappa as alternate options) and no one likes running around, but it’s up to the coach. We are happy to bring smiles on the fans’ faces and we hope to continue doing so.”

In Tomorrow’s East vs West encounter, Mumbai Indians take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.