After a tough 20-run defeat to Delhi Capitals (DC), Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson reflected on the narrow margin and pointed out areas where his team could have tightened up.
Despite a strong individual performance from Samson, DC’s effective bowling in the death overs was pivotal, securing their sixth win of the season and keeping their playoff aspirations intact.
Post-match, Samson shared his thoughts on the game’s outcome and his team’s performance. “I think we had it in our hands, it was like 11-12 runs per over, it was achievable, but these things happen in IPL. Yes, we are doing both things fine, we would like to stick to what the conditions demand, 220 was 10 runs extra to chase, if we had conceded a couple of less boundaries, we would have made it through,” he remarked.
Sanju praised the efforts of DC’s opener Fraser McGurk, acknowledging his consistent performance throughout the tournament. Despite the setback, Samson remained optimistic about RR’s form, highlighting the tight contests in their three losses. “The DC opener (Fraser McGurk) came out and did what he has done through the tournament, we still came back well. We have lost three games but all those games have been really tight, we have been playing remarkably well, we have to do some fine-tuning and make a comeback, we need to keep the momentum going.”
He also credited DC’s Tristan Stubbs for his explosive batting against RR’s key bowlers, “You have to give credit to someone like (Tristan Stubbs) Stubbs who batted well against Sandeep, who has been bowling very well in the last 10-11 games, he scored 2-3 sixes extra against my best bowlers who are Yuzi Chahal and Sandeep Sharma. We have lost the game, we have to find out where we lost the game and we need to keep moving,” he added.
With the tournament progressing, RR aims to refine their strategy and regain their momentum as they continue their pursuit for a playoff spot.