Skipper Sanju Samson (54) struck a measured half-century and Shimron Hetmyer (27 off 13 balls) contributed a breezy cameo as Rajasthan Royals could manage a below-par 152/5 in 20 overs against Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 47 of IPL 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Monday.
Asked to bat first by KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer, Rajasthan Royals struggled to maintain a good pace on a pitch that was hosting its second match after Sunday's afternoon clash between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings. Though the pitch looked dry and firm, it was slow and did help the spinners a bit, and Rajasthan Royals batters barring Samson and Hetmyer failed to get going.
Samson anchored the innings after Rajasthan lost Devdutt Padikkal in the third over and added 48 runs for the second wicket with Jos Buttler. The England batter failed to get going on Monday and was out for 22 and though Samson went on to complete a well-deserved half-century off 38 balls, his rate of scoring dipped after that as Karun Nair and Riyan Parag did not stay long at the wicket.
Hetmyer struck some lusty blows, including back-to-back sixes off Tim Southee in the 19th over as he remained unbeaten on 27 of 13 deliveries as Rajasthan posted a total that they may find difficult to defend.
Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 152/5 off 20 overs (Jos Buttler 22, Sanju Samson 54, Shimron Hetmyer 27 not out; Tim Southee 2/46) against Kolkata Knight Riders.
