Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson admitted they were 10-15 runs short of a par score after their five-wicket loss against Punjab Kings at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Wednesday. After electing to bat first, RR managed a below-par score of 144 runs.
The inaugural champions lost the early wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal and could only manage 38 runs in the Powerplay overs. After the field restrictions were lifted, Sanju Samson was caught at point whereas Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s struggle (18 off 23) was ended by Rahul Chahar as he was caught at long-on by Jitesh Sharma.
Riyan Parag top-scored with 48 runs off 34 balls but Sam Curran, Harshal Patel, and Rahul Chahar bagged two wickets each to keep the opposition under 150.
On the other hand, PBKS captain Sam Curran scored an unbeaten knock of 63 runs off 41 balls after they lost three early wickets in the Powerplay overs. The left-hander scored five fours and three maximums as PBKS won with seven balls to spare.
This was the fourth consecutive loss for the Rajasthan Royals and they will need to quickly turn the tide in the upcoming matches.
Sanju Samson said after the loss while talking to the host broadcaster, “We needed a few more runs. I think we were 10-15 runs short. It was a 160 kind of a wicket. We would have easily got more than 160 (had we played better), that’s where we lost the game. Would have been nice to have one more bowling option. I am getting used to five quality bowlers. We have to sit back and accept that we are going through failures, have lost four games on the trot. Got to find out what’s not working out for us as a team.”
He added, “Somebody needs to step up, we have so many match-winners in the team. This is the time we need to show character. We need to score more runs. We thought 160-170 would have been a good score. We are not used to playing on such wickets this season where 200-plus totals are getting scored easily. We had to play smart cricket and build those partnerships today. Hopefully, the result goes in our way in the upcoming games.”
Rajasthan Royals will play their last league stage match of the tournament against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Sunday.
