It was the 9th match of IPL 2020 played on 27 September at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah. From KXIP, the team was led by Lokesh Rahul, while Rajasthan Royals was captained by Steve Smith. RR had won the toss and decided to bowl first.
From Kings XI Punjab, the opening pair Lokesh Rahul and Mayank Agarwal started the inning, and from the very first ball, they had cleared their intention of a big score. As both of these batsmen are known for their aggressive cricket, the scoreboard was moving rapidly. They offered an excellent start to the team and made a partnership of 183 runs in 16.3 overs. Mayank Agarwal and Lokesh Rahul completed their half-century. Agarwal completed his century and got out at an individual score of 106, which he made only in 50 balls. At an individual score of 69, Rahul also got out, and hence the score of KXIP was 194 for in the 18th over. Glenn Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran also played well, and in the first inning, KXIP scored 223 at the loss of 2 wickets in their 20 overs. From Rajasthan Royals, Ankit Rajpoot and Tom Curran got one wicket each. KXIP had given the target of 224 to RR, which was looking a bit difficult.
From Rajasthan Royals Jos Buttler and Steve Smith opened the inning, but they failed to have a good start. Jos Buttler got out at an individual score of 4 runs in the third over, and the team score was 19 runs for 1 wicket. However, Captain Steve Smith kept on playing on one end and on the other side, Sanju Samson joined him. Samson and Smith managed the inning and hit big shots all over the ground. Smith made 50 in 27 balls, and Samson scored 85 runs in 42 balls only. However, the team was left much behind in the score, and the target was looking tough. Rahul Tewatia changed the game in the 18th over when he hit 5 sixes to Cottrell in one over. However, the bowling attack from KXIP was also impressive as Shami had taken three wickets in this match. With the help of big shots from Jofra Archer, the team led to victory in the 20th over when three balls were yet left.
Sanju Samson was declared as the Player of the match who had played an important inning of 85 runs when the team was in need. Performance from both teams was par excellence, and it was a grand game to watch.