Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) captain Sanju Samson expressed a sense of limitation in their middle-over strategies as the contributing factor to their loss in Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 36 runs at MA Chidambaram Stadium.
SRH secured a place in the IPL 2024 final by outclassing RR on a pitch that increasingly favored the spinners in the second innings. Despite chasing a target of 176, the Royals only managed to reach 139 for 7, falling short due to their difficulties against SRH’s left-arm spinners on a dry pitch that provided more turn as the match progressed.
Sanju Samson, captain of the Royals, recognized the difficulty presented by the pitch and the strategic bowling of SRH.
What Samson said
“I think we were found short of options in the middle overs against spin, and I think that’s where we lost the game,” Samson said after the game.
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“Against left-arm spin, we had three-four right-handers in the middle and the ball was stopping. But we could’ve tried a bit more [options] – reverse-sweep or use of the crease a bit more – and they [SRH] also bowled really well, actually. It’s actually very hard to guess – when we can expect dew or not [in Chennai]. So, the wicket started behaving differently in the second innings. The ball started turning a bit and they used the advantage and bowled spin in the middle overs against our right-handers and that’s where they were one-up against us,” he added.
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Was Samson right?
The data confirmed Samson’s evaluation. The Chepauk pitch exhibited an average turn of 1.8 degrees during the first innings but notably transitioned to a more spin-friendly surface in the second innings, registering an average turn of 3.3 degrees.
SRH strategically omitted their primary spinners in favor of Shahbaz Ahmed, designated as an Impact Player, and Abhishek Sharma. This dynamic duo collectively bowled eight overs, claiming five wickets while conceding only 47 runs. Even Aiden Markram’s brief over displayed pronounced spin, emphasizing the evolving characteristics of the pitch.
