Sanju Samson Analyzes Rajasthan Royals' Narrow Defeat to Punjab Kings in IPL 2025
Rajasthan Royals Fall Short Against Punjab Kings
Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India] - On May 18, Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson discussed the factors contributing to his team's loss against Punjab Kings (PBKS) during the 59th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Punjab Kings secured a narrow victory over Rajasthan Royals by 10 runs, thanks to an impressive bowling display from left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Reflecting on the defeat in the post-match presentation, the wicketkeeper-batter stated, “We had a strong start, with the openers contributing 90 runs in the powerplay. However, we failed to maintain that momentum. The target was certainly within reach today. The pitch behaved differently than expected. With our power-hitters, it was a chaseable score. It’s challenging to pinpoint one specific issue; we need to execute better. Our experienced players must step up and fulfill their roles. There’s a lot of room for improvement as we look ahead to the next season. Our immediate focus is on winning the upcoming match against CSK.”
After opting to bat first, PBKS found themselves at 34/3. However, a crucial 67-run partnership between skipper Shreyas Iyer (30 runs off 25 balls, including five fours) and Nehal Wadhera (70 runs off 37 balls, featuring five fours and five sixes) helped stabilize their innings. This was followed by a 58-run collaboration between Wadhera and Shashank Singh (59 not out off 30 balls, with five fours and three sixes), which further solidified PBKS's position. An explosive partnership between Shashank and Azmatullah Omarzai (21 not out off three balls, with three fours and a six) propelled PBKS to a total of 219/5 in their 20 overs.
Tushar Deshpande was the standout bowler for RR, taking 2 wickets for 37 runs.
In response, young openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (50 runs off 25 balls, with nine fours and a six) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (40 runs off 15 balls, including four boundaries and four sixes) provided a solid start, amassing 76 runs in just 4.5 overs. Despite losing wickets, RR maintained the required run rate, with Dhruv Jurel contributing a commendable 53 runs off 31 balls, including six fours and four sixes. Unfortunately, other batsmen could not handle the pressure, and RR ended their innings at 209/7, falling short by 11 runs.
Harpreet Brar emerged as the leading bowler for PBKS with figures of 3 wickets for 22 runs. Marco Jansen (2/41) and Omarzai (2/44) also delivered solid performances with the ball.
With this victory, PBKS holds the second position in the standings with eight wins and three losses, totaling 17 points, including one point from a no-result match. In contrast, RR sits at ninth place, having secured three wins and suffered 10 losses, accumulating six points.