Sanju Samson blasts "experienced guys" after RR's defeat to PBKS in IPL 2025

Under the leadership of Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals (RR) faced off against Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 59th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) lost the IPL 2025 game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 10 runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday, May 18.

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We started off really well, couldn't ask for anything more from the openers - Sanju Samson

Being invited to bowl first, the Rajasthan Royals had a poor outing as they allowed the Punjab Kings to post 219/5 on the board. Tushar Deshpande (2/37) emerged as the top performer while Kwena Maphaka, Riyan Parag, and Akash Madhwal also got one wicket each.

Chasing the target, the Rajasthan Royals did exactly what they had been doing throughout the season as they were restricted to 209/7 despite taking the game deep. Dhruv Jurel (53) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (59) were the two batters who hit half-centuries in the innings.

Speaking after the match, Sanju Samson said that the openers provided them with a great start, but they couldn't carry on the momentum. He said:

"We started off really well, couldn't ask for anything more from the openers having scored 90 runs in the powerplay. We couldn't carry on the momentum we got in the powerplay."

A couple of experienced guys should take responsibility and do their job - Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson further said that the target was quite achievable as the surface was a good one to bat on. He stated:

"It (target) was quite achievable today. The wicket played completely different today. That was a chaseable score with the kind of power-hitters we had."

Sanju Samson also lashed out at the experienced guys, saying that they should take the responsibility of doing well and taking the team past the finish line. He said:

"It's a bit hard to nail it down to one thing, we have to get the job done. A couple of experienced guys should take responsibility and do their job. Definitely a lot of improvements to be done for the upcoming season. We can't try much, the first priority is to win the game (vs CSK)."

RR won the previous IPL match against PBKS

Rajasthan Royals produced a good all-round performance to register a 50-run win over Punjab Kings in Match 18 of IPL 2025 in Mullanpur on April 5. Batting first, RR posted a huge score of 205/4 on the board before their bowlers restricted PBKS to 155/9.

Yashasvi Jaiswal starred with the bat, scoring a brilliant 67 off 45 balls, and he built a solid 89-run opening stand with skipper Sanju Samson, who played a knock of 38 off 26 balls.

Riyan Parag smashed an unbeaten 43 off 25 deliveries, while Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel provided late fireworks to push RR past the 200-run mark.

With a big total on the board, Rajasthan Royals bowlers came out firing as Jofra Archer picked two wickets in the first over, dismissing Priyansh Arya and Shreyas Iyer.

Sandeep Sharma (2/21) and Maheesh Theekshana (2/26) also did a good job with the ball, while Wanindu Hasaranga and Kumar Kartikeya also chipped in with a wicket each to restrict PBKS to 155/9 despite a fighting knock from Nehal Wadhera.