Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) clashed in 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 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 to a shuttler. However, after his dismissal, the middle order failed and only Dhruv Jurel (56) could hold out. RR were bowled 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 players played during the match and revealed the reason for their defeat. Sanju Samson said:

“It was a great game. I am very proud of the way we bowled in the first innings. We lacked options in the middle to counter spin, that is where we lost the game. Actually, it is very difficult to guess when “We are waiting for something of dew or when not. “The wicket started behaving differently in the second innings, the ball started turning a little bit, they took advantage of that very well.”

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

“They did their spin in the middle against our right-handed batsmen, that’s where they were one up against us. Against their left-arm spin, when the ball stopped, we could have tried a little more reverse sweep or maybe used a little plus the crease. They also played very well.”

Sanju Samson further said that Rajasthan Royals have had great success in the last few seasons and have produced some very talented Indian cricketers, which will benefit the national team. Sanju Samson said:

“We have had some brilliant games not only this season but in the last three years, it has been a great project for our franchise. We have found some great talent for the country. Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and many of them are It seems really exciting not only for RR but definitely for the Indian cricket team. We have had great seasons in the last three years.”

Sanju Samson also praised veteran pacer Sandeep Sharma for doing a remarkable job for the franchise during IPL 2024 and also spoke about the summit clash between KKR and SRH. Sanju Samson explained:

“(On Sandeep Sharma) I am very happy for him. By not being picked in the auctions and coming back as a replacement, he has definitely lived up to the way he played. If we look at the numbers, Sandeep Sharma in the last two years, he will be the next after Bumrah. He has done a great job (Final). The condition suits both of them, so let’s see how they come back in the powerplay. SRH batsmen are very interesting, they can definitely hold on. It seems very exciting. “It will be a great match, that is what the IPL has given us for the last 16 years.”

How Rajasthan Royals reached Qualifier 2

Rajasthan Royals reached Qualifier 2 after defeating Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the eliminator on May 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Choosing to bowl first in the match, Rajasthan Royals fired as a unit and did not allow a single RCB batsman to touch the 35-run mark.

Avesh Khan with his 3-wicket haul and Ravichandran Ashwin with his figures of 19/2 were the main 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 achievable considering the conditions there.

In the second innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal got his team off to a good start with Tom Kohler-Cadmore but the chase was not the easiest for the Royals. Early dismissals of Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel put pressure on RR and that’s when Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer stepped up and almost threw RCB out of the game. After the duo’s dismissal, Rovman Powell finished the game in the 19th over to record a 4-wicket win and end Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s winning streak.