Sanju Samson scripted history in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday as the Rajasthan Royals skipper slammed a brilliant half-century against Gujarat Titans. It was the third half-century for Samson in the ongoing IPL 2024 and it was enough to break the all-time record previously held by Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma. Samson was unbeaten on 68 off just 38 deliveries and this was the highest score by any cricketer on their 50th match as captain in the competition. Rohit previously scored 65 off 48 balls on his 50th match as Mumbai Indians skipper back in 2016 against Delhi Capitals.
Most runs scored a cricketer on their 50th match as skipper in IPL -
68* (38) - Sanju Samson (RR) vs GT, 2024
65 (48) - Rohit Sharma (MI) vs DC, 2016
59 (46) - Gautam Gambhir (KKR) vs RCB, 2013
45 (33) - David Warner (SRH) vs DC, 2021
The half-century was not enough as RR suffered their first loss of IPL 2024 thanks to a gritty batting performance from Shubman Gill followed by explosive batting by Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan.
Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Sen were able to bring RR back into the game with good bowling spells but GT were able to complete the run chase on the final ball of the match. Earlier, it was the Samson and Riyan Parag show who took the GT bowlers to the cleaners with superlative knocks.
While Samson has enjoyed a good run of form in IPL 2024, the same cannot be said about Rohit Sharma. He was replaced as the MI skipper by Hardik Pandya ahead of the new season and his batting performances till now have left a lot to be desired for both the fans and experts.