Rajasthan Royals (RR) director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara attributed his side’s loss in the second qualifier at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad to losing wickets in clusters in its pursuit of 176 runs.
“I think losing wickets in clusters [cost us]. We had a great start and got 51 in the PowerPlay. All we needed was to get to 120 by the 14th or 15th over and then we had eleven runs an over or ten runs an over, which is not difficult. A little bit of panic and not building enough partnerships past that first wicket,” Sangakkara said after RR’s 36-run defeat on Friday.
“I think we’ve got to be a lot more clinical in our chases. These games are not won quite easily. It’s a tough fight. I think Jaiswal getting out at that stage brought the left-arm spinners into the game. And then after that, it was a little difficult.
“But it was a case of just hanging in there and getting the pace of the wicket again, getting the hang of the bowlers, and as Dhruv Jurel showed, showing intent. I thought Sunrisers batted deeper and then their bowlers did a great job for them. I think we’ve had a great season but still a lot to learn,” Sangakkara added.
In the right-hand dominated top and middle order, Impact Player Shimron Hetmyer offered variety and a favourable matchup for Rajasthan against the left-arm off-spin of Abhishek Sharma and Shahbaz Ahmed. Sangakkara said that promoting Hetmyer was considered before the management went ahead with R. Ashwin.
“I didn’t think the ball was turning as badly as sometimes you can make it out to be. All you needed was just to build a partnership. I think Yashasvi [Jaiswal] staying there would have made a big difference. We had already got nine off that over and a few more singles and then perhaps the second left-arm spinner from the other end would not have bowled.
“Those are the little turning points in the game, and I think the batters will live and learn. I think with Ashwin, the job was to try and get a few boundaries and some momentum back and then he only lasted 3 falls so Hetty wasn’t delayed too much,” Sangakkara said.
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The loss prevented Rajasthan from its second shot at a title in three years. The side had finished runner-up in 2022 and was within reach of challenging for its second title against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Looking back at the season, Sangakkara said, “It was a great season for us. We started well and then we lost a close game to SRH in Hyderabad. Sometimes, you have streaks, RCB lost almost every game at the start and then caught up. But that’s how T20 goes. All we can do is put ourselves in positions and playoffs and vying for finals, which we did and I think all the guys throughout the season played phenomenal cricket.
“A little bit of fatigue, of course, at the back end but I think it doesn’t matter when you’re in games like these. You have to turn up and perform.”
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