Sanju Samson vs Rishabh Pant: Who Has Had A Better IPL 2022?

How have Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant faired in IPL 2022 so far?

Whenever there is a talk of wicketkeeper batters playing in the IPL, Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant always come into the discussion. These two are one of the best young batters who play the T20 how it should be played - with aggressive intent. 

However, one common criticism both Pant and Samson get is they way they throw away their wicket, especially after a good start. While it is a different topic of discussion whether it is the right thing to do or not but let's focus on how much impact have they made to for their respective teams. 

Both Pant and Samson are the second highest run-scorers for Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals, respectively. Pant has scored 294 runs in 188 balls he has faced at a strike rate of 156.38 and an average of 32.66; Samson has scored 327 balls in 210 balls at a strike rate of 155.71 and an average of 29.72. 

They both are very similar in nature i.e aggressive intent. Samson is the third-best starter of IPL 2022, scoring at 155.24 in the first 10 balls he faces at the start of his innings; the RR captain has faced 105 balls (in the first 10 deliveries) and scored 163 runs and averages 81.5. Pant, on the other hand, has a strike rate of 140.23 in the first 10 balls of his innings; the DC captain has faced 87 balls (in first 10 deliveries) and scored 122 runs and averages 61. 

In the next set of 10 deliveries, both Pant and Samson become more aggressive. Samson has a strike rate of 184.13 in 11-20 balls set; 116 runs in 63 balls at an average of 38.67. Pant has a strike rate of 194.83; 113 runs in 58 balls at an average of 28.25. 

Notice the pattern, they are very aggressive starters but are more often than not falling in these set of deliveries. And when they manage to enter the next set (20-30), the strike rate drops to 130.3 for Pant (14.33 Avg) and 147.37 for Samson (9.33 Avg).

Despite them not being able to post big runs, they are making enough impact for their teams. Pant has scored 15.30% of the runs DC batters have scored so far while Samson has scored 16.10% of the runs for RR. 

Both teams have been highly dependent on Samson and Pant to score since they mostly play in the middle overs. Samson is the best batter in the 7-11 over phase where he has scored 144 runs 91 balls at a strike rate of 158.24; Pant is fifth in this list with 126 runs in 84 balls at a strike rate of 150. 

This is the phase where most batters don't want to take much risk and build the inning. The fact these two have the best strike rate in this phase, speaks volumes of how impactful Pant and Samson have been. 

In T20, it is not really about the big scores but most often than not, these short cameos make the most difference in the result of the game, and Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson perfectly play that role.