IPL 2023: Sanju Samson Wins Toss, RR to Bowl First; R Ashwin Misses out With Back Spasm

Sanju Samson won the toss and Rajasthan Royals to bowl first against PBKS (Sportzpics)

Sanju Samson won the toss and elected to bowl first, RR spinner Ravichandran Ashwin missed the game due to a back spams, while Punjab Kings went with an unchanged side

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson won the toss against Shikhar Dhawan’s Punjab Kings, and he elected to bowl first. Sanju also revealed that he made a couple of changes to his side, a last-minute change as Ravichandran Ashwin missed out the fixture having suffered a back spasm. Punjab Kings however went with the same team for their last fixture this season.

Samson said that despite his side starting the season on a high they would like to finish well and end the campaign on a winning note.

“We will bowl. Looking at the dimensions and looking as to what we require in the tournament, it is better to bowl. We need to win the game. Then see how the other games go. If you want to play good T20 cricket, you need to forget things. We have had four to five days off. One has to understand the conditions. We have couple of changes. Last minute changes. Ashwin misses out because of a back spasm,” said Samson.

Dhawan meanwhile insisted that he hoped for his side to bowl better, pick wickets in the powerplay and just enjoy their game as they looked to finish on a high.

PBKS vs RR Live Cricket Score: Sanju Samson Elects to Bowl Against Punjab Kings, R Ashwin Misses Out For Rajasthan Royals

“Last match, dew wasn’t much. First batting or second, it shouldn’t change much. We will come and enjoy the game. Will try to give our best shot. We need to take more wickets in the first 6 overs. We can cash in more. We are playing the same team,” said Shikhar.

Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Akash Vasisht, Kuldeep Sen and Murugan Ashwin made the cut for Royals’ impact subs list, Punjab meanwhile included the likes of Nathan Ellis, Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Mohit Rathee and Matthew Short in their impact subs roster.

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Teams:

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prabhsimran Singh, Atharva Taide, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma(w), Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Adam Zampa, Trent Boult, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal