SRH vs RR: "That's where we lost..." - Sanju Samson left heartbroken after losing IPL 2024 Qualifier 2

Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) locked horns with each other in the Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) on Friday, May 24, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Opting to bowl first in the match, Rajasthan Royals did a fantastic job and restricted SRH to 175/9. For SRH, Heinrich Klaasen (50), Rahul Tripathi (37), and Travis Head (34) showed a good fight and took their team to a good total. For RR, Avesh Khan and Trent Boult picked up three wickets each while Sandeep Sharma bagged two crucial wickets in the innings.

Chasing the target, Yashasvi Jaiswal played a sensational brand of cricket and took RR off to a flyer. However, after his dismissal, the middle order failed and only Dhruv Jurel (56) was able to put up a fight. RR were bundled out for 139/7 and lost the match by 36 runs.

Speaking after the match, Sanju Samson said that he was proud of the way his bowlers bowled in the match and revealed the reason behind their defeat. Sanju Samson said:

"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. 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."

Sanju Samson also praised the strategy deployed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the match and said:

"They bowled their spin in the middle overs against our right-handed batsmen, that's where they were one-up against us. Against their left-arm spin, when the ball was stopping, we could have tried a bit more reverse-sweep or maybe use of the crease a bit more. They also bowled really well."

Sanju Samson further said that the Rajasthan Royals have been highly successful in the last few seasons and have produced some supremely talented Indian cricketers, which will benefit the national team. Sanju Samson said:

"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. 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."

Sanju Samson also lauded the veteran pacer Sandeep Sharma for doing a remarkable job for the franchise throughout IPL 2024 and he also spoke about the KKR vs SRH summit clash. Sanju Samson elaborated:

"(On Sandeep Sharma) I am really happy for him. By 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. (Final) The condition suits both of them, so let's see how they come back again in the powerplay. SRH batsmen are very interesting, they can definitely take the game away. KKR also will be confident, they look very exciting. It'll be a great game, that's what IPL has been giving us for the last 16 years."

How Rajasthan Royals Reached Qualifier 2

Rajasthan Royals reached the Qualifier 2 after defeating in-form Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator on May 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Electing to bowl first in the match, Rajasthan Royals fired as a unit and didn't let a single RCB batter touch the 35-run mark.

Avesh Khan with his 3-wicket haul and Ravichandran Ashwin with his figures of 2/19 were chief architects behind the destruction caused in the first innings. They also got good support from Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Trent Boult as RCB were restricted to 172/8 - a target that was easily gettable looking at the conditions at the venue.

In the second innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal took his team off to a good start with Tom Kohler-Cadmore but the chase wasn't the easiest one for the Royals. The early dismissals of Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel put RR under pressure and that was when Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer stepped up and almost pushed RCB out of the game. After the dismissal of the duo, Rovman Powell finished off the game in the 19th over to register a 4-wicket win and end the winning streak of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.