Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson is set to lead his team against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday. While securing a spot in the final against Kolkata Knight Riders is the foremost goal, Samson also has the opportunity to make history by surpassing Shane Warne’s T20 captaincy record.
When Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2024 Eliminator, it marked Samson's 31st win as captain, equalling Shane Warne's long-standing record. Warne led Rajasthan Royals from 2008 to 2011, achieving 31 victories in 56 matches. Following Warne, Rahul Dravid led the team 40 times from 2012 to 2013, securing 23 victories. Others to lead RR include Shane Watson, Steve Smith, and Ajinkya Rahane with 24 matches from 2018 to 2019.
As the skipper since 2021, Samson has led the team in 60 matches, an IPL record. However, he faces a challenging match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, who hold the psychological edge after their recent victory over RR.
In their last encounter, SRH won by a single run, adding to the intensity of the upcoming clash. With both teams finishing the league phase on 17 points, Hyderabad claimed the higher position due to a superior Net Run Rate (NRR). While SRH holds a narrow advantage in head-to-head encounters with 10 wins to RR’s nine, Rajasthan emerged victorious in their only playoff meeting. The climatic conditions for the match are expected to be moderate, with a maximum temperature of 36°C and a minimum of 29°C.
Match Details: Qualifier 2 - Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals, Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, Time: 6:00 pm UAE
