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Tag: Rajasthan Royals

  • Rajasthan Royals' SWOT Analysis Ahead Of IPL 2024: Strong Top Order And Spin Attack But No Quality All-Rounders | cricket news

    The stage is set, the stakes are high, and anticipation reverberates through the cricketing world as the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) looms large on the horizon. Among the contenders vying for glory stands the Rajasthan Royals (RR), a team steeped in history and determined to carve its legacy once more in the annals of cricketing greatness. Led by the dynamic Sanju Samson, RR embarks on a journey filled with promise, potential, and the pursuit of excellence.

    Sunday the King rides. __ pic.twitter.com/b23wXPaqfN — Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 17, 2024

    Strengths

    RR's batting arsenal boasts an array of talent, headlined by the explosive trio of Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. With Jaiswal's breathtaking displays in the previous season, Buttler's match-winning prowess, and Samson's astute leadership, the team's top order exudes confidence and capability, ready to unleash havoc upon opposition bowlers. In the spin department, RR possesses a lethal combination of experience and skill. With Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, and Ravichandran Ashwin in their ranks, the team boasts a formidable trio capable of bamboozling even the most adept of batters. Their ability to wield control in the middle overs and turn the tide of matches makes them invaluable assets in RR's quest for IPL supremacy.

    Weaknesses

    Following the departure of Jason Holder, RR finds itself with limited options in the all-rounder department. With only Ravichandran Ashwin providing a semblance of balance, the team faces challenges in achieving the desired flexibility and depth in its squad composition. While RR boasts quality pace options in Trent Boult and Nandre Burger, concerns linger over the team's ability to contain opposition batsmen. The absence of consistent, economical performers among the remaining pacers raises questions about RR's potency in the death overs, a crucial phase of T20 contests.

    Opportunities

    After falling short of expectations in the previous season, RR is eager to reclaim its status as a dominant force in the IPL. With a talented squad brimming with potential, the team is poised to turn the tide and script a memorable chapter in its storied history. As the IPL serves as a gateway to international recognition, RR players have their sights set on securing berths in India's T20 World Cup squad. With standout performers like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson eyeing national selection, IPL 2024 serves as a platform for players to showcase their mettle on the global stage.

    Threats

    The form of key players, particularly Jos Buttler and Prasidh Krishna, remains a cause for apprehension. Inconsistent performances could undermine RR's quest for success and undermine their aspirations for IPL glory. While RR's top order sparkles with talent and promise, concerns linger over the stability and reliability of the middle order. Should Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell falter, the burden of anchoring the innings falls on young shoulders like Dhruv Jurel, exposing the team to potential vulnerabilities in crucial match situations.

  • Gujarat Titans win IPL title in maiden season, beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in final

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Nobody gave them a chance but Gujarat Titans, bucking all pre-tournament predictions, surprised everyone by lifting the Indian Premier League title in a dream maiden season after a seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in the final here on Sunday.

    Gujarat’s highly-rated bowling attack, led by skipper Hardik Pandya (3/17) himself, limited a formidable Rajasthan Royals batting unit to 130 for nine after losing the toss.

    Shubman Gill and David Miller remained unbeaten on 45 and 32, respectively, to complete an emphatic win for their team.

    It should have been a comfortable chase but Rajasthan bowled their hearts out to make it an interesting final.

    As they showed all season, Gujarat remained calm in tough situations to finish the chase in 18.1 overs.

    Not many gave Gujarat a chance in their first season especially after a mixed auction where they waited till the end to secure the services of wicketkeepers Wriddhiman Saha and Matthew Wade.

    It was not a team studded with star players but Hardik impressed with his leadership and got the best out of his colleagues.

    His performance with bat and ball also contributed immensely to the team’s triumph besides the ability to bounce back from any situation through the brilliance of Miller and Rahul Tewatia.

    After posting an underwhelming total, Rajasthan had to produce a special effort with the ball to get back in the game.

    The pace duo of Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna were brilliant in the powerplay, reducing Gujarat to 31 for two with Wriddhiman Saha (5) and Matthew Wade (8) back in the dugout.

    Krishna got one to seam back in from good length to breach Saha’s defence and crash into the stumps.

    Boult, who also bowled a maiden over in his tidy spell, removed Wade.

    Gujarat would have been three down in the powerplay if Yuzvendra Chahal held on to a simple catch of Gill off Boult in the first over of the innings.

    Hardik and Gill struggled to get the boundaries but never felt extreme pressure as the asking rate remained very much in control.

    R Ashwin was introduced in the 12th over and Hardik (34 off 30) decided to go after him, collecting a four and six off successive balls to bring up the 50-run stand with Gill and take Gujarat to 77 for two in 12 overs.

    The skipper fell to a brilliant leg break from Chahal but Gill and Miller got the job done in the end.

    The entire stadium, housing more than a lakh people, erupted when Gill hit the winning six.

    Earlier, Hardik (3/17) struck thrice in his four overs while Rashid Khan (1/18) delivered yet again on the big stage to put their team on course for a title in its debut season.

    Rajasthan did not have the best of starts after skipper Sanju Samson decided to put runs on the board in a big final.

    Gujarat bowlers were able to maintain the pressure on the opposition though Jos Buttler (39 of 35) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22 off 16) tried their best to break free.

    Jaiswal, who looked tentative against the pace and swing of Mohammad Shami, took more chances compared to Buttler at the start of the innings.

    Among the shots Jaiswal attempted, his most assuring stroke was a beautifully timed six over cover off Shami.

    After pulling Yash Dayal for a massive six over long leg, the southpaw tried one too many and was caught in the deep.

    The extra bounce induced the mishit.

    Buttler, who began his innings with a crisp square cut, was joined by Samson (14 off 11) in the middle.

    Knowing well that both the Rajasthan right-handers struggle against Rashid Khan, Hardik brought the star spinner into the attack in the powerplay itself.

    Both Buttler and Samson chose to play safe against Rashid as Rajasthan reached 44 for one in the powerplay.

    The in-form Buttler decided to force the issue as he drove Lockie Ferguson over the cover fielder before cutting him for successive boundaries.

    The New Zealander was generating serious pace and went on to clock 157.3 kmph, the fastest ball of the tournament.

    Samson did not last long as his opposite number Hardik removed him on his second ball of the game.

    Hardik hit the hard length and Samson went for the pull shot only to be caught on the off-side, leaving Rajasthan at 60 for two in 8.2 overs.

    Rajasthan’s struggles worsened when Devdutt Padikkal (2), who took eight balls to get off the mark, and Buttler departed in a space of three balls.

    With Rajasthan going at run a ball after 14 overs, big hits were the need of the hour.

    However, Hardik made it 94 for five by having the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer caught and bowled.

    Ashwin perished in the following over, ending all hopes of a Rajasthan fight back.

    Brief Scores:

    Rajasthan Royals: 130/9 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 39; Rashid Khan 1/18, Hardik Pandya 3/17).

    Gujarat Titans: 133/3 in 18.1 overs (Hardik Pandya 34, Shubman Gill 45 not out)

  • Hardik Pandya shines with ball as Gujarat Titans limit Rajasthan Royals to 130/9 in IPL final

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Titans’ highly-rated bowling attack, led by skipper Hardik Pandya himself, limited a formidable Rajasthan Royals batting unit to 130 for nine in the Indian Premier League final here on Sunday.

    Hardik (3/17) struck thrice in his four overs while Rashid Khan (1/18) delivered yet again on the big stage to put their team on course for a title in its debut season.

    Rajasthan did not have the best of starts after skipper Sanju Samson decided to put runs on the board in a big final.

    With more than a lakh supporting the home team, Gujarat bowlers were able to maintain the pressure on the opposition though Jos Buttler (39 of 35) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22 off 16) tried their best to break free.

    Jaiswal, who looked tentative against the pace and swing of Mohammad Shami, took more chances compared to Buttler at the start of the innings.

    Among the shots Jaiswal attempted, his most assuring stroke was a beautifully timed six over cover off Shami.

    After pulling Yash Dayal for a massive six over long leg, the southpaw tried one too many and was caught in the deep.

    The extra bounce induced the mishit.

    Buttler, who began his innings with a crisp square cut, was joined by Samson (14 off 11) in the middle.

    Knowing both Rajasthan right-handers struggle against Rashid Khan, Hardik brought the star spinner into the attack in the powerplay itself.

    Both Buttler and Samson chose to play safe against Rashidh as Rajasthan reached 44 for one in the powerplay.

    The in-form Buttler decided to force the issue as he drove Lockie Ferguson over the cover fielder before cutting him for successive boundaries.

    The New Zealander was generating serious pace and went on to clock 157.3 kmph, the fastest ball of the tournament.

    Samson did not last long as his opposite number Hardik removed him on his second ball of the game.

    Hardik hit the hard length and Samson went for the pull shot only to be caught on the off-side, leaving Rajasthan at 60 for two in 8.2 overs.

    Rajasthan’s struggles worsened when Devdutt Padikkal (2), who took eight balls to get off the mark, and Buttler departed in a space of three balls.

    Rashid ended the painful stay of Padikkal before Hardik got the massive wicket of Buttler.

    The Englishman attempted to steer one to third man but ended up edging it back to the wicketkeeper.

    At the other end, new batter Shimron Hetmyer had to answer to the guile of Rashid, who was getting his googlies to rip.

    With Rajasthan going at run a ball after 14 overs, big hits were the need of the hour.

    However, Hardik made it 94 for five by having the dangerous Hetmyer caught and bowled.

    R Ashwin perished in the following over, ending all hopes of a Rajasthan fight back.

    PTI Shami ended the innings in style by castling Riyan Parag’s stumps with a perfectly placed yorker.

  • Hardik Pandya shines with ball as Gujarat Titans limit Rajasthan Royals to 130/9 in IPL final

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Titans’ highly-rated bowling attack, led by skipper Hardik Pandya himself, limited a formidable Rajasthan Royals batting unit to 130 for nine in the Indian Premier League final here on Sunday.

    Hardik (3/17) struck thrice in his four overs while Rashid Khan (1/18) delivered yet again on the big stage to put their team on course for a title in its debut season.

    Rajasthan did not have the best of starts after skipper Sanju Samson decided to put runs on the board in a big final.

    With more than a lakh supporting the home team, Gujarat bowlers were able to maintain the pressure on the opposition though Jos Buttler (39 of 35) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22 off 16) tried their best to break free.

    Jaiswal, who looked tentative against the pace and swing of Mohammad Shami, took more chances compared to Buttler at the start of the innings.

    Among the shots Jaiswal attempted, his most assuring stroke was a beautifully timed six over cover off Shami.

    After pulling Yash Dayal for a massive six over long leg, the southpaw tried one too many and was caught in the deep.

    The extra bounce induced the mishit.

    Buttler, who began his innings with a crisp square cut, was joined by Samson (14 off 11) in the middle.

    Knowing both Rajasthan right-handers struggle against Rashid Khan, Hardik brought the star spinner into the attack in the powerplay itself.

    Both Buttler and Samson chose to play safe against Rashidh as Rajasthan reached 44 for one in the powerplay.

    The in-form Buttler decided to force the issue as he drove Lockie Ferguson over the cover fielder before cutting him for successive boundaries.

    The New Zealander was generating serious pace and went on to clock 157.3 kmph, the fastest ball of the tournament.

    Samson did not last long as his opposite number Hardik removed him on his second ball of the game.

    Hardik hit the hard length and Samson went for the pull shot only to be caught on the off-side, leaving Rajasthan at 60 for two in 8.2 overs.

    Rajasthan’s struggles worsened when Devdutt Padikkal (2), who took eight balls to get off the mark, and Buttler departed in a space of three balls.

    Rashid ended the painful stay of Padikkal before Hardik got the massive wicket of Buttler.

    The Englishman attempted to steer one to third man but ended up edging it back to the wicketkeeper.

    At the other end, new batter Shimron Hetmyer had to answer to the guile of Rashid, who was getting his googlies to rip.

    With Rajasthan going at run a ball after 14 overs, big hits were the need of the hour.

    However, Hardik made it 94 for five by having the dangerous Hetmyer caught and bowled.

    R Ashwin perished in the following over, ending all hopes of a Rajasthan fight back.

    PTI Shami ended the innings in style by castling Riyan Parag’s stumps with a perfectly placed yorker.

    AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Titans’ highly-rated bowling attack, led by skipper Hardik Pandya himself, limited a formidable Rajasthan Royals batting unit to 130 for nine in the Indian Premier League final here on Sunday.

    Hardik (3/17) struck thrice in his four overs while Rashid Khan (1/18) delivered yet again on the big stage to put their team on course for a title in its debut season.

    Rajasthan did not have the best of starts after skipper Sanju Samson decided to put runs on the board in a big final.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    With more than a lakh supporting the home team, Gujarat bowlers were able to maintain the pressure on the opposition though Jos Buttler (39 of 35) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22 off 16) tried their best to break free.

    Jaiswal, who looked tentative against the pace and swing of Mohammad Shami, took more chances compared to Buttler at the start of the innings.

    Among the shots Jaiswal attempted, his most assuring stroke was a beautifully timed six over cover off Shami.

    After pulling Yash Dayal for a massive six over long leg, the southpaw tried one too many and was caught in the deep.

    The extra bounce induced the mishit.

    Buttler, who began his innings with a crisp square cut, was joined by Samson (14 off 11) in the middle.

    Knowing both Rajasthan right-handers struggle against Rashid Khan, Hardik brought the star spinner into the attack in the powerplay itself.

    Both Buttler and Samson chose to play safe against Rashidh as Rajasthan reached 44 for one in the powerplay.

    The in-form Buttler decided to force the issue as he drove Lockie Ferguson over the cover fielder before cutting him for successive boundaries.

    The New Zealander was generating serious pace and went on to clock 157.3 kmph, the fastest ball of the tournament.

    Samson did not last long as his opposite number Hardik removed him on his second ball of the game.

    Hardik hit the hard length and Samson went for the pull shot only to be caught on the off-side, leaving Rajasthan at 60 for two in 8.2 overs.

    Rajasthan’s struggles worsened when Devdutt Padikkal (2), who took eight balls to get off the mark, and Buttler departed in a space of three balls.

    Rashid ended the painful stay of Padikkal before Hardik got the massive wicket of Buttler.

    The Englishman attempted to steer one to third man but ended up edging it back to the wicketkeeper.

    At the other end, new batter Shimron Hetmyer had to answer to the guile of Rashid, who was getting his googlies to rip.

    With Rajasthan going at run a ball after 14 overs, big hits were the need of the hour.

    However, Hardik made it 94 for five by having the dangerous Hetmyer caught and bowled.

    R Ashwin perished in the following over, ending all hopes of a Rajasthan fight back.

    PTI Shami ended the innings in style by castling Riyan Parag’s stumps with a perfectly placed yorker.

  • Rajasthan Royals opt to bat against Gujarat Titans in IPL final

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Rajasthan Royals opted to bat against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League final here on Sunday.

    While Royals did not make changes to their playing XI, Gujarat replaced Alzari Joseph with Lockie Ferguson.

    Teams:

    Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (w), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami

    Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, Yuzvendra Chahal

  • Rajasthan Royals opt to bat against Gujarat Titans in IPL final

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Rajasthan Royals opted to bat against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League final here on Sunday.

    While Royals did not make changes to their playing XI, Gujarat replaced Alzari Joseph with Lockie Ferguson.

    Teams:

    Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (w), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami

    Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, Yuzvendra Chahal

    AHMEDABAD: Rajasthan Royals opted to bat against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League final here on Sunday.

    While Royals did not make changes to their playing XI, Gujarat replaced Alzari Joseph with Lockie Ferguson.

    Teams:googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (w), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami

    Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, Yuzvendra Chahal

  • Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson says one step closer to do something special for Shane Warne

    By ANI

    AHMEDABAD: After registering a thumping win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2022, Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson said that he wants his team to win this IPL 2022 for legendary Shane Warne.

    Buttler’s unbeaten 106, his fourth ton of the season, powered RR to a comprehensive seven-wicket win over RCB in the Qualifier-2 here at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.

    “I think the tournament right from the start has been for him and I think we need to take one more step for him it’s really special and I don’t want to talk much about it,” Samson told Royals’ star batter Jos Buttler in a video posted on official site of IPL.

    Further, Samson asked Buttler how he felt when he played in the atmosphere of Ahemdabad’s stadium.

    “I was actually very excited to play in this stadium with a hundred thousand people watching you, the atmosphere was amazing. It’s been two years playing in empty stadiums and IPL is all about that so I was really excited today,” replied Buttler.

    Talking about captaincy, the wicket-keeper batter said it is easy to manage a team full of ‘quality cricketers’.

    “It was really good, to be honest, I think it becomes really easy when you have some really quality cricketers around you, you don’t have to talk much to them it is really easy as they know what they are doing. In the first season, I wanted to interact a lot more to understand a lot of different characters, so it’s really fun enjoying the funny characters we have in our team,” he added.

    Coming to the match, great knocks by Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal, followed by a cameo of Sanju Samson helped RR chase down the target of 158 runs in just 18.1 overs. Earlier, Prasidh Krishna and Obed McCoy scalped three wickets each to restrict RCB at 157/8.

    Rajasthan Royals will lock horns against debutants Gujarat Titans in the final on Sunday.

    AHMEDABAD: After registering a thumping win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2022, Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson said that he wants his team to win this IPL 2022 for legendary Shane Warne.

    Buttler’s unbeaten 106, his fourth ton of the season, powered RR to a comprehensive seven-wicket win over RCB in the Qualifier-2 here at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.

    “I think the tournament right from the start has been for him and I think we need to take one more step for him it’s really special and I don’t want to talk much about it,” Samson told Royals’ star batter Jos Buttler in a video posted on official site of IPL.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Further, Samson asked Buttler how he felt when he played in the atmosphere of Ahemdabad’s stadium.

    “I was actually very excited to play in this stadium with a hundred thousand people watching you, the atmosphere was amazing. It’s been two years playing in empty stadiums and IPL is all about that so I was really excited today,” replied Buttler.

    Talking about captaincy, the wicket-keeper batter said it is easy to manage a team full of ‘quality cricketers’.

    “It was really good, to be honest, I think it becomes really easy when you have some really quality cricketers around you, you don’t have to talk much to them it is really easy as they know what they are doing. In the first season, I wanted to interact a lot more to understand a lot of different characters, so it’s really fun enjoying the funny characters we have in our team,” he added.

    Coming to the match, great knocks by Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal, followed by a cameo of Sanju Samson helped RR chase down the target of 158 runs in just 18.1 overs. Earlier, Prasidh Krishna and Obed McCoy scalped three wickets each to restrict RCB at 157/8.

    Rajasthan Royals will lock horns against debutants Gujarat Titans in the final on Sunday.

  • Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson says one step closer to do something special for Shane Warne

    By ANI

    AHMEDABAD: After registering a thumping win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2022, Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson said that he wants his team to win this IPL 2022 for legendary Shane Warne.

    Buttler’s unbeaten 106, his fourth ton of the season, powered RR to a comprehensive seven-wicket win over RCB in the Qualifier-2 here at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.

    “I think the tournament right from the start has been for him and I think we need to take one more step for him it’s really special and I don’t want to talk much about it,” Samson told Royals’ star batter Jos Buttler in a video posted on official site of IPL.

    Further, Samson asked Buttler how he felt when he played in the atmosphere of Ahemdabad’s stadium.

    “I was actually very excited to play in this stadium with a hundred thousand people watching you, the atmosphere was amazing. It’s been two years playing in empty stadiums and IPL is all about that so I was really excited today,” replied Buttler.

    Talking about captaincy, the wicket-keeper batter said it is easy to manage a team full of ‘quality cricketers’.

    “It was really good, to be honest, I think it becomes really easy when you have some really quality cricketers around you, you don’t have to talk much to them it is really easy as they know what they are doing. In the first season, I wanted to interact a lot more to understand a lot of different characters, so it’s really fun enjoying the funny characters we have in our team,” he added.

    Coming to the match, great knocks by Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal, followed by a cameo of Sanju Samson helped RR chase down the target of 158 runs in just 18.1 overs. Earlier, Prasidh Krishna and Obed McCoy scalped three wickets each to restrict RCB at 157/8.

    Rajasthan Royals will lock horns against debutants Gujarat Titans in the final on Sunday.

  • Sanju Samson has been exceptional as player and skipper: Rajasthan Royals’ Kumar Sangakkara

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Rajasthan Royals director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara finds Sanju Samson “exceptional” as the Kerala man has been able to perform triple roles of wicket-keeping, captaincy and batting with aplomb in a tournament of IPL’s magnitude.

    RR easily beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets on Friday to reach their first IPL final since 2008 and have a shot at a second title.

    “Sanju has been exceptional. He started off with quite a tough test last season with a young side and lot of upheaval because of COVID bubbles, tournament of two halves but he has really grown into his role,” Sangakkara said at the post-match press conference.

    “He is very soft-spoken, very reserved individual. He is exceptionally skilled with the bat. He has shown a lot of passion and hunger to taking on this testing role of captaincy. Wicket-keeping, captaining and being the best batter in your side along with Jos Buttler is not an easy kind of role to fill but he has done it really well this season,” he added.

    The legendary Sri Lankan feels that Samson has become more aware about his role in the side.

    “He has become more and more aware of what his role is. His tactical awareness has improved right throughout. He has really trusted his team. The team really looks up to him as a leader,” the former Lankan skipper added.

    Englishman Jos Buttler has been phenomenal with the bat for RR and is the leading scorer in the tournament with 824 runs from 16 games with four centuries and as many fifties.

    And Sangakkara said he has never seen anyone bat with such authority in the history of the IPL as Buttler did in the ongoing season.

    “It’s hard to describe what he (Buttler) has done for us this season in terms of T20 batting. He started off well, he had a little bit of a flutter at one point in the tournament but then he just calmed himself down, had a lot of good conversations rather than just training,” he said.

    “He accepted that he is mortal, he is a human and can’t be at that high level of excellence every single day. He can accelerate at any point, he has got all the strokes. He understands the game really well. I can’t remember anyone batting this well in the history of the IPL.”

    Sangakkara said having a core group of nine players made his job easy.

    “That’s an advantage of having an experienced side. We have a core group of nine players with exceptional experience and skill and around them, we have young guys and some very senior players in the bench. What I have to do as a coach is very little. It is just about being responsible of what has happened, owning it as a unit. RCB’s director of cricket, Mike Hesson said not being able to accelerate in the last five overs cost them dearly.

    “123 for 3 with 5 overs to go, we were very much in a position to get 175-180 with (Glenn) Maxwell set along with (Rajat) Patidar. We obviously lost those two wickets and then in the last 3 overs Obed McCoy and (Prasidh) Krishna bowled nicely, we struggled to get any momentum. We were probably 20 short,” he said.

    “Our death run score throughout the season has been exceptional, it’s probably the top end where we didn’t get the momentum. Other than today we pretty much nailed the last 5 overs in most innings.”

    By his own standard Virat Kohli has endured a forgettable IPL, scoring just 341 runs in 16 innings averaging 22.73 but Hesson said the former RCB skipper got better as the tournament progressed.

    Hesson also backed Mohammed Siraj, who took just nine wickets in 15 games, to comeback strongly.

    “Siraj is a fine bowler. He didn’t have the best tournament but he will comeback strong. Maxwell had a good all-round season with bat and ball. Virat got better and better as the season went on. He looked in good touch in the last 4-5 innings,” he said.

    AHMEDABAD: Rajasthan Royals director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara finds Sanju Samson “exceptional” as the Kerala man has been able to perform triple roles of wicket-keeping, captaincy and batting with aplomb in a tournament of IPL’s magnitude.

    RR easily beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets on Friday to reach their first IPL final since 2008 and have a shot at a second title.

    “Sanju has been exceptional. He started off with quite a tough test last season with a young side and lot of upheaval because of COVID bubbles, tournament of two halves but he has really grown into his role,” Sangakkara said at the post-match press conference.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “He is very soft-spoken, very reserved individual. He is exceptionally skilled with the bat. He has shown a lot of passion and hunger to taking on this testing role of captaincy. Wicket-keeping, captaining and being the best batter in your side along with Jos Buttler is not an easy kind of role to fill but he has done it really well this season,” he added.

    The legendary Sri Lankan feels that Samson has become more aware about his role in the side.

    “He has become more and more aware of what his role is. His tactical awareness has improved right throughout. He has really trusted his team. The team really looks up to him as a leader,” the former Lankan skipper added.

    Englishman Jos Buttler has been phenomenal with the bat for RR and is the leading scorer in the tournament with 824 runs from 16 games with four centuries and as many fifties.

    And Sangakkara said he has never seen anyone bat with such authority in the history of the IPL as Buttler did in the ongoing season.

    “It’s hard to describe what he (Buttler) has done for us this season in terms of T20 batting. He started off well, he had a little bit of a flutter at one point in the tournament but then he just calmed himself down, had a lot of good conversations rather than just training,” he said.

    “He accepted that he is mortal, he is a human and can’t be at that high level of excellence every single day. He can accelerate at any point, he has got all the strokes. He understands the game really well. I can’t remember anyone batting this well in the history of the IPL.”

    Sangakkara said having a core group of nine players made his job easy.

    “That’s an advantage of having an experienced side. We have a core group of nine players with exceptional experience and skill and around them, we have young guys and some very senior players in the bench. What I have to do as a coach is very little. It is just about being responsible of what has happened, owning it as a unit. RCB’s director of cricket, Mike Hesson said not being able to accelerate in the last five overs cost them dearly.

    “123 for 3 with 5 overs to go, we were very much in a position to get 175-180 with (Glenn) Maxwell set along with (Rajat) Patidar. We obviously lost those two wickets and then in the last 3 overs Obed McCoy and (Prasidh) Krishna bowled nicely, we struggled to get any momentum. We were probably 20 short,” he said.

    “Our death run score throughout the season has been exceptional, it’s probably the top end where we didn’t get the momentum. Other than today we pretty much nailed the last 5 overs in most innings.”

    By his own standard Virat Kohli has endured a forgettable IPL, scoring just 341 runs in 16 innings averaging 22.73 but Hesson said the former RCB skipper got better as the tournament progressed.

    Hesson also backed Mohammed Siraj, who took just nine wickets in 15 games, to comeback strongly.

    “Siraj is a fine bowler. He didn’t have the best tournament but he will comeback strong. Maxwell had a good all-round season with bat and ball. Virat got better and better as the season went on. He looked in good touch in the last 4-5 innings,” he said.

  • Sanju Samson has been exceptional as player and skipper: Rajasthan Royals’ Kumar Sangakkara

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Rajasthan Royals director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara finds Sanju Samson “exceptional” as the Kerala man has been able to perform triple roles of wicket-keeping, captaincy and batting with aplomb in a tournament of IPL’s magnitude.

    RR easily beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets on Friday to reach their first IPL final since 2008 and have a shot at a second title.

    “Sanju has been exceptional. He started off with quite a tough test last season with a young side and lot of upheaval because of COVID bubbles, tournament of two halves but he has really grown into his role,” Sangakkara said at the post-match press conference.

    “He is very soft-spoken, very reserved individual. He is exceptionally skilled with the bat. He has shown a lot of passion and hunger to taking on this testing role of captaincy. Wicket-keeping, captaining and being the best batter in your side along with Jos Buttler is not an easy kind of role to fill but he has done it really well this season,” he added.

    The legendary Sri Lankan feels that Samson has become more aware about his role in the side.

    “He has become more and more aware of what his role is. His tactical awareness has improved right throughout. He has really trusted his team. The team really looks up to him as a leader,” the former Lankan skipper added.

    Englishman Jos Buttler has been phenomenal with the bat for RR and is the leading scorer in the tournament with 824 runs from 16 games with four centuries and as many fifties.

    And Sangakkara said he has never seen anyone bat with such authority in the history of the IPL as Buttler did in the ongoing season.

    “It’s hard to describe what he (Buttler) has done for us this season in terms of T20 batting. He started off well, he had a little bit of a flutter at one point in the tournament but then he just calmed himself down, had a lot of good conversations rather than just training,” he said.

    “He accepted that he is mortal, he is a human and can’t be at that high level of excellence every single day. He can accelerate at any point, he has got all the strokes. He understands the game really well. I can’t remember anyone batting this well in the history of the IPL.”

    Sangakkara said having a core group of nine players made his job easy.

    “That’s an advantage of having an experienced side. We have a core group of nine players with exceptional experience and skill and around them, we have young guys and some very senior players in the bench. What I have to do as a coach is very little. It is just about being responsible of what has happened, owning it as a unit. RCB’s director of cricket, Mike Hesson said not being able to accelerate in the last five overs cost them dearly.

    “123 for 3 with 5 overs to go, we were very much in a position to get 175-180 with (Glenn) Maxwell set along with (Rajat) Patidar. We obviously lost those two wickets and then in the last 3 overs Obed McCoy and (Prasidh) Krishna bowled nicely, we struggled to get any momentum. We were probably 20 short,” he said.

    “Our death run score throughout the season has been exceptional, it’s probably the top end where we didn’t get the momentum. Other than today we pretty much nailed the last 5 overs in most innings.”

    By his own standard Virat Kohli has endured a forgettable IPL, scoring just 341 runs in 16 innings averaging 22.73 but Hesson said the former RCB skipper got better as the tournament progressed.

    Hesson also backed Mohammed Siraj, who took just nine wickets in 15 games, to comeback strongly.

    “Siraj is a fine bowler. He didn’t have the best tournament but he will comeback strong. Maxwell had a good all-round season with bat and ball. Virat got better and better as the season went on. He looked in good touch in the last 4-5 innings,” he said.