Sanju Samson was a pleased captain as Rajasthan Royals (RR) registered a comprehensive 24-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday (May 15).
Opting to bat first, RR posted 178/6 in their 20 overs with vital contributions from Yashasvi Jaiswal (41 off 28 balls), Devdutt Padikkal (39 off 18 balls), and skipper Sanju Samson (32 off 24 balls).
With the ball, RR restricted LSG to 154/8 in 20 overs. All the Rajasthan bowlers were among the wickets but it was Trent Boult who stole the show, picking two wickets by giving away just 18 runs in his four overs.
It was Royals’ 8th victory in 13 games and they have now moved to the second spot on the IPL 2022 points table.
"This win was satisfying. The atmosphere is chilled and nice, it's not easy to maintain it when there are losses and we have done it well. Batting first suits our approach well, we want to bat positively and the bowling unit is good as well," Samson said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
The RR management had promoted spin all-rounder R Ashwin up the order in the previous few matches and he batted at No. 7 against LSG.
"Decisions are judged by results, Ashwin did well last game as well," added Samson.
Rajasthan Royals skipper was also happy with the intensity of his troops on the field. Jimmy Neesham set the tone with a brilliant catch to dismiss LSG opener Quinton de Kock.
"The intensity in the field was good. Special mention to Neesham who brought a lot of energy," said Samson.
None of the RR batters hit a half-century but they still piled up 178 on the board.
"Every batter played well without complicating or analyzing too much. So we did well despite being a batter short," said Samson.
Rajasthan Royals will take on Chennai Super Kings in their last league match on May 20.
(With ANI inputs)