Losing captain Sanju Samson lamented his team's performance following a comprehensive 10-wicket defeat which Royal Challengers Bangalore inflicted on Rajasthan Royals in Match 16 of the IPL 2021 at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
The Royals, put in to bat first, were reduced to 18/3 but their middle and lower order batted well to put up a respectable score of 177/9. However, their effort with the bat was completely overshadowed by Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal who gunned down the total to help RCB register their fourth win in a row. After the match, Samson reflected on the RR's performance, admitting that the team needs to get together and address the issues before it gets too late.
"Our batsmen did really well to get a score on the board but they did really well to chase without losing a wicket. We need to do some homework and need an honest review about our batting. That's what this sport is all about, we keep on failing and we keep on coming about. It puts you down but you have to keep on fighting," Samson said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Shivam Dube and Rahul Tewatia played knocks of 46 and 40 runs respectively to steer the Royals to 177/9. After getting reduced to 18/3, skipper Samson and Dube tried to stitch the innings and added some quick runs for the fourth-wicket stand. The duo added 25 runs before Kane Richardson removed Samson (21) and broke the partnership in the eighth over.
{{/usCountry}}Shivam Dube and Rahul Tewatia played knocks of 46 and 40 runs respectively to steer the Royals to 177/9. After getting reduced to 18/3, skipper Samson and Dube tried to stitch the innings and added some quick runs for the fourth-wicket stand. The duo added 25 runs before Kane Richardson removed Samson (21) and broke the partnership in the eighth over.
{{/usCountry}}Riyan Parag joined Dube in the middle. The duo build the innings and added 66 runs off 39 balls for the fifth wicket. Dube looked in great touch and Parag supported him nicely in the partnership. Parag's 25-run stint was ended by Harshal Patel in the 14th over.
Rahul Tewatia came in to bat at number seven. Dube and Tewatia added 24 runs together before the former was sent back to the pavilion by Richardson in the 16th over. Chris Morris and Tewatia took the total above the 150-run mark. Tewatia was bagged by Siraj in the 19th over. He played a knock of 40 off 23 including two sixes. In the last over, Rajasthan lost Morris (10) and Chetan Sakariya (0) but Shreyas Gopal added seven crucial runs off four balls. For RCB, Siraj and Harshal Patel bagged three wickets each.
(With inputs from PTI)