Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson revealed that his team overcame illness to secure a victory over a revitalised Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2024 Eliminator.
Samson noted on Wednesday that several team members were not fully fit, yet they managed to outclass the Bengaluru-based franchise.
“I’m not 100% actually. I think there’s a bug going around in our team,” revealed Samson. “Many of us are coughing and unwell. We’re looking forward to the next game. We’ve regained our winning momentum. With one travel day and a practice session ahead, it’s crucial to keep everyone fresh for the game,” said Samson.
Batting first, RCB couldn’t post a big total courtesy RR’s disciplined bowling attack and excellent ground fielding. On a good-batting pitch, RCB fell short. Skipper Faf du Plessis had no hesitation in admitting that his team didn’t bat well.
“With the dew coming in, we felt our total was below par,” Faf said. “We needed a few more runs to be competitive. Credit to the boys for fighting hard. Assessing the pitch, it looked like a 180-run pitch. But this season, with the extra batter and long line-ups, it has been challenging. We knew we needed a higher score to really challenge them.”
Wily off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin delivered an exceptional bowling performance, finishing with figures of 2/19 in four overs. He took the crucial wickets of Cameron Green and Glenn Maxwell off successive deliveries, earning him the player of the match award.
“To come into the tournament from Test cricket was difficult,” said Ashwin after winning player of the match award. “I needed some time to get that bowling rhytmn. But once you have committed to your franchise, you want to go through with the season.”