IPL 2023: Rajasthan Royals was in a tough battle against Punjab Kings but came up short in Guwahati on Wednesday, suffering its first season loss, whereas skipper Sanju Samson blamed momentum dip for the defeat.
Former champion Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson has blamed the dip in momentum in the middle overs during their stiff chase as the reason behind the five-run loss against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday.
Chasing a tricky 198-run target on Wednesday, RR could manage 192/7 in the end. "We started well. We finished the powerplay well. We expected to get the boundaries here and there in the middle overs, but they bowled well. That's where I think the momentum went down. We did well to get so close after the fall in our run rate. We just fell short of a six, just one ball hit away," Samson said at the post-match press conference.
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While chasing the target, Ravichandran Ashwin accompanied Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top for RR instead of Jos Buttler. And Samson revealed the reason behind the move. "Jos [Buttler] had a minor injury. He was doing his stitches, as while fielding, he got injured. So, the physio wanted some time. Time was not there to get the stitches and go to open. The move was to send Ashwin bhai and then hold everyone back. He [Buttler] seems fine. I think he should be fine," Samson said.
Meanwhile, PBKS' batting coach Wasim Jaffer praised young Prabhsimran Singh, who made 60 off 34 balls while opening the batting alongside captain Shikhar Dhawan. Jaffer said Prabhsimran, who was not a regular in the PBKS side in earlier IPL editions, grabbed the opportunity with both hands. "He [Prabhsimran] has been a fabulous player, but no matter how good you are, you need a consistent run so he can play a lot more fearlessly," said Jaffer.
"He has always been a good player, and it's good that it has come good, which is a good sign because we don't have Bairstow somebody at the top bats like that, so I'm happy for him," added Jaffer. Prabhsimran shared 90 runs for the opening stand-off, just 61 balls with Dhawan.
But, once the youngster departed, the experienced Dhawan switched gears to hit a fiery unbeaten 86 off 56 balls. When Prabhsimran was going so well, he [Dhawan] knew that he could take his time to fiddle. That's where experience counts. When Prabsimran got out, he [Dhawan] took the chance and batted through the innings. We wanted somebody from the top 3 batters to play till 18-19 overs, and he did that. Somebody as experienced as him knows how to use the pace, and he did precisely that," Jaffer concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)
