RR on Wednesday registered third straight loss as the batting unit once again failed to provide the much-needed finish. All-round RCB were excellent in both the bowling and batting department as they jolted another blow to ‘Halla Bol Army’. Their latest 7 wickets loss to Bangalore puts them on toes with only an outside chance of making it to the playoffs.
Rajasthan Royals Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara shed light on the areas that RR need to work.
“Pitches are very good, I think especially in the powerplays. I think the first half of the tournament in India we were really struggling in the powerplays. Our middle-order was getting us back in the games and the same for the game against Sunrisers and KKR. In the second phase, we’ve got the opposite way where we are winning the powerplay. We have the runs we need and that we are not really understanding how to manage the middle and the death. I think that’s been the case for a lot of the sides in this entire tournament. And, we have to figure the way,” Sangakkara said in the post-match conference.
RR are in trouble now after losing to bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad and RCB. Now they are in Do or die situation. They will now have to win all three games to qualify for playoffs & will hope other results go in their favour. If they want to be completely sure about their fortunes – they will have to win all 3. They have matches lined up against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Mumbai Indians (MI), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
“When we get the platform like we did today, 100 runs for 1 wicket after 11 overs. How to kick on from there and get on to 180-185 mark. We saw against PBKS, we should have got 205-210. We fell short there losing a lot of wickets, being unable to convert it into a big total. Unfortunately, we are not getting to the mark where you are trying to put the opposition out of the game. We need to find ways to improve the way we finish our innings with the bat,” he added.
Sangakkara also revealed the chats that he has with Samson and also spoke about his India aspirations.
“We do have a 1-on-1 chat on a lot of things. And, we do talk cricket. I think India aspirations come at a time when the IPL is over. Our chats are very much IPL focused, not just his batting but captaincy, team and how we are playing. He is a very special player and has done exceptionally well this season. I am sure that he has aspirations to play for India. At some time, he will be selected for a long run,” he said.
