Sensational Morris

Hands first win to Rajasthan

MUMBAI: Chris Morris hit an unbeaten 36 off 18 balls to take Rajasthan Royals to an unlikely three-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League on Thursday. Chasing 148 for victory, Rajasthan, who lost key player Ben Stokes due to a broken finger in their opening defeat on Monday, were in trouble at 104-7 when David Miller got out after his blazing 62 in Mumbai.

But Morris took charge and put on an unbeaten 46-run stand with Jaydev Unadkat, who hit 11, to smash four big sixes including two in the final over off Tom Curran as Rajasthan won with two balls to spare.

“There are guys that get paid to bat and guys that get paid to slog, and I know which I am,” said Morris, who became the most expensive player in IPL history when Rajasthan bought him for $2.25 million in February’s auction,

“For us to get as close on the day, we took a lot out of that first game of ours. Nice to know we can win from anywhere after being down in the dumps.”

The South African all-rounder was at the non-striker’s end on Monday when skipper Sanju Samson hit a blistering 119 but got out on the final ball as Rajasthan lost by four runs to Punjab.

The 33-year-old Morris proved his worth with a wicket off his pace bowling and batting at number eight.

Delhi’s Avesh Khan claimed three wickets while Chris Woakes and Kagiso Rabada took two each. The pace trio had sent Rajasthan slipping to 42-5 before Miller’s 43-ball blitz.

“We had Miller and Morris, but I thought it was tough,” admitted Samson. “I was praying inside, Morris can you please get one six.”

Earlier Unadkat claimed three wickets and Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman took two to restrict Delhi to 147-8 despite a 32-ball 51 from skipper Rishabh Pant.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings face Punjab Kings in Mumbai on Friday. — AFP

Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 150/7 (David Miller 62, Chris Morris 36 not out; Avesh Khan 3/32) beat Delhi Capitals 147/8 (Rishabh Pant 51, Tom Curran 21; Jaydev Unadkat 3/15) by 3 wickets.

‘I am a slogger’: Morris justifies huge price tag

MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League’s (IPL) most expensive signing Chris Morris proved he is worth every penny as the all-rounder fired Rajasthan Royals to a thrilling three-wicket victory against Delhi Capitals on Thursday.

Rajasthan made a splash in February’s players auction by splurging a record $2.17 million to sign the 33-year-old South African after a fierce bidding war with Punjab Kings.

Morris began repaying that huge outlay with a spectacular late assault for the 2008 champions on Thursday.

With Rajasthan needing 27 runs off the last two overs with three wickets in hand, Morris smacked four sixes off the final 10 balls to seal the victory.

“There are guys who get paid for batting and there are guys who get paid for slogging. I know which one I am,” Morris said after his unbeaten 36 off 18 balls secured his team’s first win in this year’s tournament.

“I am a slogger at the end of the day who swings at everything he can.”

It did not look like everyone at Rajasthan believed in Morris’ slogging skills earlier in the week, however.

Needing five runs off the last two balls against Punjab, Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson hit the first to long-off but refused a single, sending back non-striker Morris and deciding to face the final ball himself.

The move did not pay off and Samson, who smashed 119, was dismissed with the final ball as Punjab snatched a narrow victory.

Morris’ wry smile after being sent back by Samson went viral on Twitter but the all-rounder said he had planned to turn back anyway.

“I was going to run back no matter what because Sanju was hitting it so sweetly,” Morris said.

“People underestimate how fast I run. Sanju was hitting it like a dream that night.”

— Reuters