Not Jos Buttler! Sanju Samson reveals whose performance instilled confidence in RR camp during KKR clash

The Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals (RR) took on the Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 31st match of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) on Tuesday, April 16, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

RR won the toss and elected to bowl first in the match. The bowlers did a decent job initially and dismissed the explosive batter Phil Salt in the 4th over. However, they weren't able to neutralize the threat of West Indies legend Sunil Narine, who went berserk against the RR bowling unit.

Sanju Samson used all the weapons in his arsenal but wasn't able to dismiss Narine until the 18th over. The KKR star slammed 109 runs before finally being dismissed by Trent Boult. In the end, KKR posted 223/6 on the board.

Chasing the target, Jos Buttler stood at one end like a wall and played a remarkable innings. Despite not getting much support from the other end, Jos Buttler played a blinder and took his team past the finish line. Jos Buttler smashed 107 runs off 60 balls to help Rajasthan Royals register a 2-wicket win in the nail-biting clash.

At the post-match presentation ceremony, Sanju Samson looked extremely delighted and he revealed that the Rajasthan Royals camp felt that they were in the game after Rovman Powell played a wonderful cameo of 26 runs. Sanju Samson said:

"Very happy with the win. We were wondering about the wickets we lost. Rovman hit a couple of sixes and that's when we felt like we were in the game."

Sanju Samson also acknowledged the performance of KKR and said that their spinners bowled really well in the match to put RR under pressure. Sanju Samson said:

"Some luck also, they also played really well. The quality of spin they had, they bowled really well. This ground suited them."

In the end, Sanju Samson lavished rich praise on the hero of the match - Jos Buttler - and labeled his knock as the best century in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"Jos did what he does for us in the last 6-7 years, so happy for him. It (Jos's knock) should go right on top. Being an opener, if he gets in, no runs are unchaseable. He does something special."

Rajasthan Royals' Current Position In IPL 2024 Standings And Their Previous Match Result 

Before the match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the Rajasthan Royals (RCB) were in the first position on the IPL 2024 points with 5 wins and 10 points under their belt in 6 games. After the conclusion of the match, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) have retained their No.1 spot with 12 points under their belt.

Talking about the previous match of the Rajasthan Royals (RR), they played an away game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur on April 13. After restricting the Punjab-based franchise to 147/8 they chased down the target in 19.5 overs to clinch a 3-wicket victory with 1 ball remaining.

Shimron Hetmyer was awarded the Player of the Match for his unbeaten cameo of 27 runs off 10 deliveries. Other than the West Indies star, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 39 runs off 28 balls, Tanush Kotian scored 24 runs off 31 balls and Riyan Parag scored 23 runs off 18 balls.

Speaking of the bowling unit of Rajasthan Royals (RR), Keshav Maharaj and Avesh Khan were the top two wicket-takers as they bagged two wickets each. Trent Boult, Kuldeep Sen, and Yuzvendra Chahal also chipped in with one wicket each to restrict PBKS to a low total.