Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson (Image Credit: Twitter)

Rajasthan Royals (RR) might have lost their first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) to Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 12, 2021, in Mumbai, but their new captain Sanju Samson found himself in record books after his amazing knock of 119 runs.

Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson (Image Credit: Twitter)

Samson, who is leading the RR team for the first time in IPL, had won the toss and decided to bowl first. Punjab Kings took full advantage of the Wankhede wicket and put on a mammoth 221/6 on the board. Captain KL Rahul slammed 91 in 50 balls, while Deepak Hooda made merry with a 28-ball 64 runs knock featuring 6 sixes. Even Chris Gayle made 40 runs in 28 balls to contribute to the carnage.

Sanju Samson Goes Bonkers With The Bat On PBKS Bowlers In The Chase, Makes IPL Record

Everyone knew that it was going to be a tough chase and for the first 10 overs, RR seemed to be a lot behind the required run rate too. They had lost their openers Ben Stokes (0) and Manan Vohra (12) cheaply and Jos Buttler got out at the wrong time, despite a good-looking 25 runs.

However, Sanju Samson was still there and was knocking the ball around the park with ease. He then got some support from Shivam Dube (25) and Riyan Parag (25 in 11 balls) and kicked into another gear altogether.

Sanju Samson (Image Credit: Twitter)
Sanju Samson (Image Credit: Twitter)

He completed his century in just 54 balls and got out on the last ball of the match when RR needed 5 runs to win, on 119 off 63 balls with 12 fours and 7 sixes to his name, ending what was truly an all-time great innings. This was also his third century in IPL history, but RR lost the match by 4 runs.

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During the course of his innings, Samson broke quite a few records, including the highest score on captaincy debut in IPL, besting Shreyas Iyer’s 93 for Delhi Capitals against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018 IPL. Third, on the list is Mumbai Indians’ all-rounder Kieron Pollard. His 83 off 31 balls against PBKS at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL 2019 helped Mumbai win the match.

Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard (Image Credit: Twitter)

Fourth comes Aaron Finch, who made 64 in his captaincy debut in IPL for Pune Warriors in IPL 2013 and completing the top five is Murali Vijay, who made 55 for PBKS on his captaincy debut against Gujarat Lions in IPL 2016.

Also Read: IPL 2021: Sanju Samson Reveals The Reason Behind Picking Up The Toss Coin