Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson rued that his batters couldn't find a way to tackle the spinners after his team suffered a 36-run defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 at Chepauk on Friday (May 24).
Chasing 176 to win, the Royals were cruising in the powerplay but the duo of Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma spun a web around their batting line-up. While Shahbaz claimed three wickets by conceding 23 runs, Abhishek chipped in with two wickets for 24 runs as SRH restricted RR to 139/7 in 20 overs.
It was a listless batting display from the inaugural IPL champions. Besides Dhruv Jurel (56* off 35) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (42 off 21), no one managed to cross the 10-run mark.
"It was a big game. I am really proud of the way we bowled in the first innings. We were found short of options in the middle overs against their spin, that's where we lost the game," Samson said in the post-match interaction.
"It's very hard to guess actually when we are expecting some dew or when we are not. The wicket started behaving differently in the second innings, the ball started turning a bit, they used that advantage really well.
"They bowled their spin in the middle overs against our right-handed batsmen, that's where they were one-up against us," he added.
Samson felt RR batters could have tried something different to unsettle the Sunrisers spinners.
"Against their left-arm spin, when the ball was stopping, we could have tried a bit more reverse-sweep or maybe use the crease a bit more. They also bowled really well."
On seamer Sandeep Sharma, who returned with the figures of 2/25 in fours on the slow track, Samson said: "I am really happy for him. From not being picked in the auctions and coming back as a replacement, the way he bowled, he has definitely delivered. If we look at the numbers, Sandeep Sharma in the last two years, he will be the next guy after Bumrah. He has done a great job."
The RR captain also showered rich praise on the young players of his side. "We have had some brilliant games not only this season but from the last three years, it has been a great project for our franchise. We have found some really great talent for the country,” Samson remarked.
"Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and a lot of them are looking really exciting not only for RR but definitely for the Indian cricket team. We have had some great seasons from the last three years," he concluded.
(With PTI Inputs)
