IPL 2023: '...that was probably the end of the game' — Kumar Sangakkara pin-points exactly where RR lost the plot vs RCB

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara was not pleased after his team's embarrassing loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), saying that the powerplay broke us on Sunday (May 14).

SportsTak

• Sun • 14 May 2023

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara was not pleased after his team's embarrassing loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), saying that the powerplay broke us on Sunday (May 14). RCB thrashed RR by 112 runs to dent RR's playoff hopes in Jaipur.

RR was reduced to 28/5 inside the first six overs while chasing the target of 172. This was the third-lowest total in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as RCB bundled them out for 59.

Sangakkara admitted that Rajasthan Royals were poor in batting and failed to take the game deeper and build a partnership. He added that the target was chaseable but RR got carried away in the powerplay.

"It was a poor batting performance. I thought we bowled probably well to keep them to 170, which on this pitch was going to be a good chase. I think we little bit got carried away in the powerplay, thinking we have to score too many runs there and be ultra-positive," Sangakkara said in the post-match press conference.

"It was a case of building partnership but unfortunately coming out of the powerplay we were five down so that was probably the end of the game."

On a spin-friendly Jaipur pitch, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell brought up their fifties before Anuj Rawat's rapid unbeaten 29 off 11 lifted RCB to 171/5. However, Sangakkara said that the total could have been chased down on what was a 'pretty good surface.

"Pitch was pretty good, it was slow. It was going to be with the heat. It was definitely a wicket where we could have chased if we took the game deeper and build a partnership. Unfortunately, the powerplay broke us," Sangakkara said.

Sangakkara further said that his side should play with pride despite being positioned in the sixth spot on the IPL 2023 points table. He also hoped that others' results go in favour of RR so that the side could reach the playoffs.

"We have to wait and see, we have one more game to play. Irrespective of where we stand, we had pretty much or most of it in our control. Unfortunately, now, other results have to go our way. Every game we play, we have to play for pride and make sure we try and win it," Sangakkara concluded.