Not 140-kind of wicket: RR skipper Sanju Samson on five-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings

Guwahati (Assam) [India], May 15 (ANI): After his side's five-wicket loss against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Wednesday, Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson said the pitch at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium was "not a 140-kind of wicket".
Samson scored 18 runs from 15 balls at a strike rate of 120 in the first inning. He slammed only three fours during his time on the crease and failed to hit a single six.
Speaking after the match, Samson said the Rajasthan-based franchise should have scored around 160 runs in the first inning but the wicket in Guwahati did not help them.
"[On the surface] We were expecting wicket to be a touch better. I think it's not a 140-kind of wicket; we should have got around 160. I think that's where we lost the game. It would have been nicer to have one more bowling option; it gets a little tough when you have just five. But I am used to it. And we have quality five bowlers," Samson was quoted by ESPNCricinfo as saying
He added that they have to accept the loss against the Kings. He further added that the team needs individual players to step up for the franchise.
"To be very honest, we have to sit back and accept that we are going through some failures. You have to find out what's not working well as a team. When you are getting to the business end, we need someone to raise their finger up and say, I am going to win the game for the team. We have players who can do that. If all of us try that, it's a team sport, but this is the time when we need individual players to step up," he added.
Recapping the match, Rajasthan won the toss and elected to bat first. RR lost their wickets regularly. Knocks from Riyan Parag (48 in 34 balls, with six fours) and Ravichandran Ashwin (28 in 19 balls, with two fours and a six) took RR to 144/9 in their 20 overs.
Skipper Sam Curran (2/24), Rahul Chahar (2/26) and Harshal Patel (2/28) were among the top bowlers for PBKS.
In the run-chase, PBKS was 48/4 at one point, but a half-century from skipper Sam Curran (63* in 41 balls, with five fours and three sixes) helped the team secure a five-wicket win with seven balls left.
Avesh Khan (2/26) was the top bowler for RR.
RR have lost their fourth match in a row and are at the second spot with eight wins and five losses. They have a total of 16 points. PBKS is at the ninth spot with five wins and eight losses, giving them 10 points. (ANI)