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Faf Du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were hoping to turn their fortunes around with Virat Kohli's record-breaking eighth IPL century in their IPL 2024 clash against Rajasthan Royals (RCB) on April 7. However, their bowling woes continued to haunt them yet again. This season, winning the toss and chasing a target against RCB has been a winning formula for opponents. Rajasthan Royals knew this well and opted to chase after winning the toss at Sawai Man Singh stadium on April 7. Despite getting a cracking start with an early dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second innings, RCB bowlers couldn't contain the Royals. The massive total of 183, built largely on Kohli's heroics, seemed insufficient. Jos Buttler, however, had other plans. He partnered with Sanju Samson for a crucial 148-run stand, effectively taking the game away from RCB. Buttler finished the chase in style, smashing a six over deep square leg in the final over. His blistering knock of 58 balls, studded with nine fours and four sixes, secured a well-deserved victory for the Royals and his own sixth IPL century.
Sanju Samson, who played a crucial knock himself with 69 runs off 42 balls, commented on Jos Buttler's return to form. Samson hinted that he knew a big performance was coming from Buttler, praising the England captain's white-ball prowess.
“It was just a matter of time with Jos. He just needed to get through the powerplay and middle a few balls,” Sanju said at the post-match presentation.
Thrilled after RR's win, Samson said that it was a good total to chase.
“I think anything below 190, with a little bit of dew coming in, with the batting order we have, I felt it was a good total to chase. Touchwood, few more games to go, we are bowling well. And we have got a break, which is helping us charge up and come in fresh,” Samson said in the post match presentation.
Sanju Samson was also asked a tough question during the interview. The reporter prodded him to choose the stronger department in his team, batting or bowling. Instead of giving a direct answer, Samson cleverly sidestepped the question with a witty reply. He said that he considers the bowling attack to be a '9' out of 10, while the batting lineup is an ‘8.7’.
“I think bowling is 9, and batting is 8.7,” Samson further added.
This playful response avoided singling out one department and highlighted the overall strength of the Rajasthan Royals.
This victory propelled the Royals to the top of the IPL 2024's points table with a commanding 8 points. They'll look to maintain their momentum when they host the Gujarat Titans for their next match on April 10 while RCB will take on Mumbai Indians on April 11.
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