Sanju Samson scored five runs fewer than his counterpart KL Rahul, but his unbeaten 71 off 33 balls had five times more impact compared to Rahul's relatively sedate 48-ball 76 as Rajasthan Royals made a giant leap towards IPL play-offs by comfortably beating Lucknow beat Super Giants by seven wickets at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday. While Rahul is still favorite to replace Rishabh Pant as second gloveman at the T20 World Cup, Samson hit four stylish sixes, including the match-winning one in a chase of 197, to keep himself in the discussion for that run to the USA Samson and Jurel came together after the Royals stumbled from a fast start to hand the advantage to the home side, putting together a robust stand of 121 runs in just 62 balls to allow the unconquered fourth wicket to get their side over the line to take.
Chasing a tricky 197 with LSG deploying seven bowlers, including two leg-spinners, Rajasthan finished at 199 for three to win with an over to spare.
For his part, young Jurel finally discovered he could put a barren run behind him, hitting five fours and two sixes to make a solid 52 not coming off 34 balls.
The win took top-placed Rajasthan to 16 points – six clear of second-best Kolkata Knight Riders – and a step closer to becoming the first team to reach the play-offs in the 17th edition. Based on the current mess in the middle of the table, the cut-off for the play-offs this year will probably be 18 points.
LSG remained in fourth place with 10 points in their pocket.
Rajasthan openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (24) and Jos Buttler (34) smashed 60 runs off the target unscathed, but their side went through a slump in the next overs while also losing three wickets in quick succession.
It started when Buttler walked over his stumps and missed an angled full toss from Thakur, who knocked down the leg stump for the first breakthrough.
Marcus Stoinis bowled a harmless delivery outside off to invite a free-flowing Jaiswal to go for it. The left-hander complied, but did not make a good connection and found Bishnoi at a deep point.
LSG's plans to tie the Royals down with leg-spin became clear when 41-year-old Amit Mishra came on as an impact substitute and got the priced scalp of Riyan Parag (11) in his first over.
Rajasthan slumped from 60 without loss to 78/3 after nine, and this was when Jurel and Samson began their recovery work to get Rajasthan back on track.
Jurel and Samson started with a six and a four respectively off Mishra to push the leg-spinner onto the back foot and took 17 runs off Thakur's second over.
Krunal Pandya (0/24) did well for his part by sending down a few measly overs in between, but RR were back in the lead when Mohsin Khan came over in the 14th.
Jurel hit left-arm for 20 runs, including three fours and a six in Mohsin's third of the match, and also enjoyed a reprieve when Thakur, placed at short third man, dropped a crucial catch when the RR batsman was on 32.
The introduction of Bishnoi only on the 16th did not have any impact as RR had taken full control of the proceedings. The leg-spinner leaked another 16 runs as RR moved closer to the finish line.
Earlier in the first half, Rahul (76 off 48 balls) dug deep with Deepak Hooda (50 off 31 balls) as Lucknow Super Giants managed a competitive 196/5 against Rajasthan Royals.
Rahul and Hooda gave LSG a solid foundation with a 62-ball, 115-run stand for the third wicket after early blows, but the failure of others meant the hosts could not benefit from the hard work of the two.
Rahul's 48-ball 76 with eight fours and two sixes was his fourth fifty of the season, while Hooda banished his poor run of scores to make his first big score this IPL.
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