NEW DELHI: In a hard-fought IPL encounter, Rajasthan Royals faced a formidable challenge from Punjab Kings' bowlers, who utilised clever variations in pace on a challenging Mullanpur pitch in Chandigarh on Saturday.
Despite the seemingly modest target of 148, Royals encountered significant hurdles as they navigated through a set of disciplined Punjab bowlers and a tricky playing surface.
However, despite the challenges posed by the Punjab bowlers and the tacky pitch, Royals exhibited resilience and determination to overcome the obstacles. Through determined efforts and effective partnerships, they managed to reach the target, ultimately posting a total of 152 for seven.
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Royals, who won 5 out of 6 games to sit atop, returned to winning ways after losing to Gujarat Titans in their last encounter.
Royals skipper
Sanju Samson
, however, was not very happy with the way they fielded, especially on one occasion when he almost collided with pacer
Avesh Khan
in pursuit of a skier, ultimately both making a mess of it.
"(High-catches) We had a few funny instances from last year and this year. But I am really happy that everyone is eager to go and catch it. I would be very sad if people are just staying away and not catching it. It gets a bit tough actually - the stadium is full of noise and when people call, we are looking at the ball, we can't look who is coming. I need to tell my fast bowlers that it's a bit easier to catch with the gloves instead of hands," said Samson at the post-match interaction.
"We all were (tensed during the run-chase). Games against Punjab in the last 3-4 years, each and every game is very close, very funny feeling. They were bowling really well, it was a funny game. (On Hetmyer) He has been doing it for years and years. Lots of experience, some composure and some confidence about his skills. He has won games many times. Rovman and Hetty - having them was good.
Tanush is an interesting youngster. He came in as an allrounder, he had a fabulous Ranji Trophy season with Mumbai and he's been performing well. He's been impressing all the coaching staff and everyone in the nets. We had a proper, settled batting order after the openers, we didn't want to unsettle it and then bring someone up for just one game," Samson added.
"Jos is almost ready for the next game, so we just wanted to try him up the order. Very happy to see him (Jaiswal) spend some time in the middle, get those 30s and 40s. That's what this tournament has taught me for the last 10 years - never take it for granted. Last game, we did some really great things and we ended up on the losing side. Today, we made a bit more mistakes and we ended up winning the game. It's a very funny game, so we'd like to keep our heads down and just do the process," Samson concluded.
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