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Samson Regrets Not Capitalising On Powerplay Momentum
Follow UsRR were 89/1 after 6 overs chasing 220, but lost the plot in the middle overs
This has not been Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) season. Probably that’s why they have lost quite a few games after looking well placed to finish off the chase in the end. Their game on Sunday, May 18, against Punjab Kings (PBKS) was one more occasion where they started off well after chasing a huge target, but fell short of the target by 10 runs.
Batting first, PBKS scored a huge total of 219/5 courtesy of Nehal Wadhera’s superb 70 off 37 deliveries. Shashank Singh also played a brilliant innings from the other end and scored 59 off 30 deliveries.
In reply, the RR openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi added 76 runs in just 4.5 overs for the first wicket. The 100 was also up in the eighth over, and it looked like RR would chase it down easily. However, left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar bowled a brilliant spell of 3/22 in four overs and won the game for PBKS.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, skipper Sanju Samson accepted that losing the momentum despite a superb start was one of the reasons why RR couldn’t win the game.
“We started off really well, couldn't ask for anything more from the openers, having scored 90 runs in the powerplay. We couldn't carry on the momentum we got in the powerplay. It (target) was quite achievable today,” Samson said.
“The wicket played completely different today. That was a chaseable score with the kind of power-hitters we had. It's a bit hard to nail it down to one thing, we have to get the job done.
“A couple of experienced guys should take responsibility and do their job. Definitely a lot of improvements to be made for the upcoming season. We can't try much, the first priority is to win the game (vs CSK).”
RR will now play their next game against Chennai in Delhi on May 20.