Rajasthan Royals’ hopes of making it to the playoffs got dented further after their seven-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the most recent IPL match in Dubai. RR captain Sanju Samson cut a lone figure with the bat and ended up scoring a majestic knock of 82 runs off 57 deliveries. Despite that, the team wasn’t able to make it count and ended up scoring only 164 in their 20 overs.
In the post-match virtual press conference, star all-rounder Chris Morris was asked about the inclusion of the youngsters in the side. Rajasthan Royals have been a franchise who have always put a lot of trust in young cricketers. Asked whether there was a line between giving the young kids an opportunity and the lack of form and consistency from the cricketers, Chris Morris said, “We are absolutely right to give them (young Indian players) opportunities because we’ve got some young players who are going to play for India over the next couple of years. The guys that are getting opportunities are seriously good players and they are playing for a reason. There is no one in the team who doesn’t deserve to be there,” Morris said, defending the young Indian contingent in the team.
The lack of runs from someone in the batting lineup not named Sanju Samson has been a critical feature of Rajasthan Royals this season. Sanju Samson hasn’t received the support he needs to guide his team to victory and this was also the case in the previous match against Delhi Capitals. The South African also echoed similar sentiments and made it clear that Samson needs to be supported more.
“In terms of getting runs, everyone needs to be scoring more runs. Sanju (Samson) is obviously playing so well. We have glimpses of guys scoring runs but it’s pretty simple – all of us have to contribute a lot more. You can’t have one player do it for you every game. End of the day, every single player is being picked on merit,” Morris opined.
Although the defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad has made the path to playoffs even harder for Rajasthan Royals, Chris Morris believes there’s still a chance. With eight points from 10 games, RR are currently sixth in the table and are level on points with KKR, PBKS, and MI.
“Absolutely, there are four teams vying for that last playoffs spot and there are some seriously good teams. That is very tough but this is the best and the toughest tournament in the world. There are some world-class players and every game is going to be tough whether it is SRH, who are at the bottom, and showed their class tonight, or you are playing the guys who are at the top of the log, who are there for a reason,” he said.
