The champions of the inaugural edition Rajasthan Royals had to wait for 14 more seasons to make an appearance in an IPL final. On Friday, they qualified for the final after they beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Qualifier 2 at the Motera Stadium.
Jos Buttler's onslaught
Jos Buttler looked a different player this season as he hammered bowlers from the start of the tournament. Such was Buttler's prolific run-scoring in which he slammed back-to-back centuries and took the IPL by storm. He slammed four centuries and as many fifties in the tournament.
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Samson, the captain & batter
Samson led Rajasthan from the front and steered the team brilliantly during the crunch-death overs. Whenever Royals were lagging behind in the death overs, he slowed the game to halt opposition momentum which helped the team immensely.
Spin Twins - Ashwin and Chahal
While Yuzvendra Chahal emerged as the biggest contender for the coveted Purple Cap, one can't ignore the contribution of Ravichandran Ashwin. Chahal took 26 wickets for Royals whereas Ashwin ensured that he tightened the noose and stopped run flow for his side. Ashwin also emerged as a useful batter for the Royals and was used as a floater many times.