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Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals (RR) suffered a heart-breaking one-run loss to the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a thrilling IPL 2024 match on Thursday, May 2. Chasing 202, the Royals were in a strong position at one stage but fell just short in a dramatic final over. SRH set the tone with early wickets, dismissing both openers cheaply. However, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag stepped up for Rajasthan, playing valiant knocks to keep them in the hunt. Just as Rajasthan began to build momentum, the tide turned. T Natarajan dismissed the dangerous-looking Jaiswal in the 14th over. The Indian opener, fresh off his T20 World Cup selection, had smashed a quickfire 67 off 40 balls, including seven boundaries and two sixes. Two overs later, Riyan Parag also departed, after a well-made 77 off 49. His innings featured eight fours and four sixes. With both set batsmen out, RR found themselves at a precarious 159/4 after 15.5 overs. Natarajan wasn't done there. He scalped Shimron Hetmyer's wicket for 13 in the 18th over. In the 19th over, Cummins dismissed Dhruv Jurel for just 1 run. Although Powell managed a six off the final ball of the 19th, leaving just 13 needed in 6 balls, Bhuvneshwar held his nerve in the final over. He conceded only one boundary, sealing a dramatic one-run victory for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Riyan Parag left heartbroken after RR's 1-run loss to SRH
Parag rued RR's hapless defeat and regretted not finishing the game for his team.
"I got a lot of areas to improve. I am not in my best form, I would have finished the game otherwise. I got a lot of areas to perfect. I try to learn from my mistakes and not repeat them. Is it my best innings? No. I would say that if I get a hundred," Parag said after the match.
Disappointed with the loss, Riyan Parag emphasised the importance of looking ahead. RR remain comfortably placed in the IPL standings. They currently lead the pack with 16 points from 10 matches, well ahead of the second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) who have 12 points from 9 games.
"It is never good to end on the losing side. We did a lot of things right. We will focus on more rather than dwelling on our mistakes. We are at a good position in the points table. Just one bad game I guess. We made a few errors in two-three overs and it cost us the game. That is how T20 is, IPL is," he added.
"I do not think any of us threw our wickets. Jaiswal played that scoop because Natrajan was bowling good slower bouncers, hence he predicted a yorker and went for it. I was trying to muscle it for six. Probably an error in execution. We would have liked to stay till the end. Credit to how SRH bowled, how Bhuvneshwar and Cummins bowled, especially that 19th over by Cummins," Parag concluded.
While RR will take on Delhi Capitals (DC) on May 7, SRH will next face Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium on May 6.
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