‘Bhai maza aa gya’ – Fans delighted as Rajasthan inch closer to playoffs with top win over Lucknow

Rajasthan defeated Lucknow by 24 runs to boost their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs. Batting first, Rajasthan posted a healthy 178-6 in their 20 overs. Jos Buttler, who has been in terrific form for the team, was dismissed without much damage for 2 off 6 balls. In came Sanju Samson and played some crisp shots. However, as has been the case throughout the tournament, he couldn’t carry on to get a big one. He was dismissed by Jason Holder for 32 off 24 balls, at a team score of 75-2 in 8.5 over. Devdutt Padikkal (39 of 18) played a cameo to take the team to 178-6. At the top, Yashasvi Jaiswal (41 off 29) also played a pivotal role in helping the team reach a respectable total.

The venue was a high scoring ground but given the quality in Rajasthan bowling, this was always going to be a tough chase for KL-Rahul’s men. Quinton de Kock (7 off 8), KL Rahul (10 off 19) and Ayush Badoni were sent packing within the powerplay, leaving Lucknow reeling at 29-3.

Krunal Pandya (25 off 23), and Deepak Hooda (59 off 39) tried to keep Lucknow in the hunt but the pressure of the climbing run rate got bigger with every passing over. Eventually, Lucknow was restricted to 154-8 in 20 overs. With this win Rajasthan have climbed to the second spot in the points table, while Lucknow have slipped to third. The result have made the points table very interesting, with all teams barring Mumbai and Gujarat still having a chance to qualify.

This is what the skippers said:

KL Rahul: I thought it was a gettable target. Good pitch, obviously something there with the new ball. We bowled well to restrict them to that total. We backed ourselves but we couldn’t execute. Once again the batting group hasn’t been able to perform collectively. We need to go back and work on it. Pune was a lot more harder and lot more in the pitch there than this one. When you lose wickets early it puts pressure on you. We have lost three-four games in the powerplay as a batting unit. Make sure you find a way to stay in there when you play quality bowlers and give a good start. I don’t think we are going to do anything different. Just about going out there and executing. Obviously in pressure you want to do one thing but you end up doing something else. If we can hold our nerves and give ourselves a chance to play the new ball or a good spell. If you get through that spell you always have enough time to make up. We’ve got power in our batting line, so it is just about playing smart when the bowlers are bowling a good spell.

Sanju Samson: We have been taking some good decisions. It is very hard to maintain a chilled out atmosphere. Credit to the boys. You keep on losing here and there. We want to go out there and express ourselves as a batting unit. We have a quality bowling line up to defend. Last game also, Ashwin did well. Sometimes you take decisions and look bad when you lose. We can control the intensity. Neesham brought some amazing energy on to the field. There is some bonus point for having some quality spinners. We can use them any time.