Sanju Samson Crosses 4000 T20 Runs for Rajasthan Royals Despite Defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad

Captain’s gritty 66 and landmark milestone shine through in RR’s high-scoring clash against SRH, though his heroics fall short in a 44-run defeat.

Hyderabad, March 24: Even in defeat, Sanju Samson found a reason to celebrate. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper etched his name into the history books by becoming the first batter to score 4000 T20 runs for the franchise. His latest milestone came during a high-octane battle against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the ongoing IPL 2025.

Chasing a mammoth 287-run target at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Samson led from the front with a fluent 66 off 37 balls, keeping RR in the hunt. He stitched a valiant 111-run stand with Dhruv Jurel (70) for the fourth wicket, temporarily reigniting hopes of a miraculous chase after a top-order collapse.

However, his effort ended in the 15th over when Harshal Patel dismissed him with a well-directed short ball. Attempting a pull shot, Samson miscued it, only to see Heinrich Klaasen safely pouch it behind the stumps.

Despite the dismissal, Samson’s innings marked a special moment—he crossed the 4000-run milestone for Rajasthan Royals in T20s, becoming the first player to do so. The 30-year-old now has 4000 runs from 147 matches, averaging 32.00 with a strike rate of 141.04. This tally includes performances in both the Indian Premier League and Champions League T20, where he scored 192 runs in six matches at an impressive average of 38.40, with three fifties.

Unfortunately for RR, Samson’s landmark couldn’t inspire a win. Earlier in the day, SRH’s top order unleashed a brutal assault, piling up a record 286/6. Ishan Kishan’s unbeaten 106, supported by Travis Head (67), Nitish Reddy (30), and Heinrich Klaasen (34), left Rajasthan with a mountain to climb.

With Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Nitish Rana departing early, the pressure fell squarely on Samson and Jurel. Despite their fightback, the escalating required run rate proved insurmountable, and RR ended at 242/6, falling short by 44 runs.

While SRH celebrated a dominant win, the night still belonged to Samson, whose landmark innings reaffirmed his status as one of the Royals’ all-time greats.