Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bat first in their clash against KL Rahul’s Lucknow Super Giants at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday, marking both teams’ debut in the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Expressing his team’s strategy at the toss, Samson revealed that Riyan Parag would occupy the number four batting position, with Rovman Powell poised to make an impact during the match.
“We would like to bat first today. Looks like a good batting wicket, we were ok to do both, but we’ve a different combination today. Coming back to Jaipur gives positive vibes in the dressing room. Riyan Parag will be our number 4, Jos, Hetty, Boult are there – Powell could come in as an impact player,” Samson stated.
In response, Lucknow Super Giants’ skipper Rahul expressed his preference to bat first if they had won the toss. He also confirmed the selection of Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, and Naveen-ul-Haq as their four foreign players.
“We would have batted first as well, but the wicket does look good. I’m happy to be back on the field, injury has become my best friend over the last couple of years, but it makes you hungry and perform much better when you’re back. QdK, Pooran, Stoinis, and Naveen-ul-Haq are our four overseas options. The focus is on this game for us at the moment,” Rahul said.
The playing XI for both teams were as follows:
Rajasthan Royals Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (Wk/C), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Lucknow Super Giants Playing XI: KL Rahul (C), Quinton de Kock (Wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur.
