Ashok Kumar
- May 8, 2023
- 6 min read

IPL 2023, RR vs SRH: Samad, Phillips pull off stunning victory against Rajasthan

IPL 2023, Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): Jos Buttler's 95, Sanju Samson's 66 and Yuzvendra Chahal's 4-29 are top performances. SRH beat Rajasthan and move ahead of Delhi in points table.

IPL 2023, RR vs SRH, Top Performances: Abdul Samad last ball six took SRH over the line; SRH beat RR | Walking wicket (Images_ ©BCCI_Twitter)

Samad last ball six took SRH over the line (Images: ©BCCI/Twitter)

Brief Scores: SRH 217/6 (Abhishek Sharma 55, Rahul Tripathi 47, Glenn Phillips 25, Yuzvendra Chahal’s 4/29) beat RR 214/2 (Jos Buttler 95, Sanju Samson 66, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/44) by 4 wickets.

Player of the match: Glenn Phillips (25 off 7)

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) stole a victory from the jaws of defeat, courtesy a no ball off the last ball of the chase, as they chased down a huge target of 215 with 4 wickets to spare. With 5 runs needed off the last ball, Sandeep Sharma bowled a no ball, and then Abdul Samad cracked a six to steal a win. Meanwhile, some top batting performances from Jos Butter’s 95, Sanju Samson’s 66 not out, and brilliant spin bowling from YS Chahal’s 4/29 went in vain.

SRH win a thriller to hand RR their third straight loss

As ideal a game as they could have had for Rajasthan. As Buttler and Jaiswal picked up where they left off from the previous season, their openers scored runs. Samson got off to a successful start in the IPL as usual. Yuzi Chahal scored a four-for, Trent Boult took powerplay wickets, while Ravi Ashwin bowled sensibly. Their rookie Jason Holder played well in the field and with the bowl and didn't have to bat. Even their inexperienced bowler KM Asif was allowed to bowl without any strain, and they managed to get a returning Navdeep Saini some game practice. The visiting SRH have been given a target of 215 by RR.

Abhishek Sharma and Impact sub Anmolpreet Singh have started the game for Sunrisers. The opening over is being bowled by Sandeep Sharma. Anmolpreet Singh, the impact sub, is acquired by Yuzi Chahal. Comes up to bat is Rahul Tripathi. Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi's second wicket combination has added 55 runs and is still going. Abhishek Sharma is eliminated by Ravichandran Ashwin, ending their second wicket partnership with Rahul Tripathi. The Sunrisers appeared to have given all hope when Aiden Markram returned for only 6 runs. Glenn Phillips, though, hit a few super sixes to reintroduce the orange army into the contest. SRH defeated RR by four wickets.

Talking points; Poor bowling of Rajasthan cost them a lose

Rajasthan Royals should have won this match and bagged 2 crucial points, but they were let down by poor bowling from their team. A no ball on the last ball is nothing but a crime, and Royals were guilty of committing that blunder. Besides, Royals bowled quite a few loose balls, especially in the death overs, for SRH to bounce back into the match and steal a win from the jaws of defeat. Overall, their bowling, except for Chahal, was below par as it allowed SRH to escape and steal a win.

Buttler, Samson fire RR to 214/2

Choosing to bat first, Rajasthan Royals openers – Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler – gave the team a quick start, stitching a stand of 54 runs in 5 overs. Jaiswal was at his usual attacking self, racing to 18-ball 35 with 5 fours and 2 sixes before he glanced a short ball from Marco Jansen straight to gully where T Natarajan took an easy catch. Buttler was slow to start with, but he started playing his shots once he got used to the pace of the wicket, unleashing his big strokes. He stitched a stand of 138 runs with captain Sanju Samson in 13.3 overs. Buttler was looking good for his ton, but he played all over a yorker from Bhuvneshwar Kumar to be LBW for 59-ball 95 with 10 fours and 4 sixes. Samson played some delightful sixes off the SRH spinners, scoring 38-ball 66 not out to take the Royals to 214/2.

SRH snatch victory from jaws of defeat

SRH opened with Anmolpreet Singh, who came in as an impact player in place of T Natarajan, and with Abhishek Sharma. The two posted a stand of 54 runs in 5 overs before Anmolpreet holed out to Shimron Hetmyer off Chahal’s bowling. Abhishek and Rahul Tripathi then stitched a stand of 65 runs in 6.5 overs to set the platform for the chase. However, R Ashwin broke the stand, dismissing Sharma for 55. With the asking rate climbing to 13, Rahul Tripathi and Heinrich Klaasen took on the RR bowlers, putting a stand of 41 runs in 3.1 overs.

But Chahal dismissed them both and also Aiden Markram to shift the momentum towards the Royals’ favour. With an asking rate of 20, Glenn Phillips tore into Kuldip Yadav’s over – 19th of the innings - to hit 6, 6, 6, 4 but fell to a good catch by Shimron Hetmyer on the fifth ball. With 17th to chase in the last over bowled by Sandeep Sharma, two catches were dropped off Abdul Samad, before a no ball of the last ball gave SRH another chance to win. Abdul Samad cracked a six off the free hit to seal a victory from the jaws of defeat.

Let’s scan the top three performances from the game between RR and SRH in IPL 2023

Buttler's 95 off 59 goes in vain as SRh beat RR (Images: ©BCCI/Twitter)

Jos Buttler’s 95 off 59

In IPL 2023 so far, Jaiswal has stolen the limelight from his opening partner Jos Buttler. In this match as well, Jaiswal stole the limelight from Buttler in the powerplay overs as the English keeper struggled to get the big hits going. Buttler was batting at just run-a-ball when he was on 20 for 20, but a six in the 9th over bowled by Mayank Markande turned things for him as he started middling the ball, and got the boundaries and sixes flowing. He then got a four or a six almost every over until his dismissal for 95. He took 20 balls for his first 20 runs, but from then he struck 75 runs in 39 balls at a strike rate of almost 200. He struck three fours off Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s third over and 17th of the innings, but Bhuvi had his revenge when he dismissed Buttler LBW for 95 in his next over. By then, Buttler had helped RR to score above 200. Buttler cracked 10 fours and 4 sixes during his knock.

IPL 2023, RR vs SRH, Top Performances_ Sanju Samson smashes fifty (66 runs) against SRH; SRH beat RR _ Walking wicket (Images_ ©BCCI_Twitter)

Sanju Samson’s 66 not out

Sanju Samson has been earlier guilty of throwing his wicket away after getting a start. But this time, a determined Samson ensured he remained till the end to finish off the innings. Even though he anchored the innings to perfection, he never stopped shy of going after the bowling to ensure RR maintained a good run-rate. Samson cracked two straight sixes off Markande’s bowling, the 9th of the innings to set the tone for the rest of the game to follow. His knock also eased pressure on Buttler who opened up and played freely in the company of his captain. RR also looked in danger of falling a few runs short in the end as SRH bowled tight line and length, but Samson cracked a six and a four on the last 2 balls to finish off the innings on a high. Samson cracked 4 fours and 5 sixes during his knock of 38-ball 66.

Yuzvendra Chahal’s 4/29

Yuzvendra Chahal was the standout bowler from either side. When bowlers were leaking runs and struggling to keep the batsmen quiet, Chahal bowled splendidly to turn things around a couple of times. First, he broke a threatening opening stand of 51 between Anmolpreet Singh and Abhishek Sharma. He then came back to dismiss the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen to pull back things for his team. In his next over, he dismissed Rahul Tripathi and Aiden Markram while conceding just 3 runs to give Royals a chance for a win. What stood out was Chahal’s variations that foxed batsmen who misread him. He also got good turns from the pitch, making it difficult for the batsmen to force the pace, and hit them hard for boundaries, thus helping him get the crucial wickets at critical junctures for his team. But alas, his performance came in a losing cause as well.

Points Table Scenario & What's Next

It was the third straight loss for RR, but despite the defeat, they are in the fourth spot, with 5 wins from 11 games. SRH climbed to the 9th spot with this win, winning 4 out of 10 games. Rajasthan Royals next face KKR on May 11, while SRH will lock horns against LSG on May 13.

IPL 2023 Points Table