IPL 2023: 'Shocking to see where we stand on the table' — RR skipper Sanju Samson

Rajasthan Royals (RR) finished their IPL 2023 league campaign with a win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Friday. The four-wicket win has allowed RR to stay alive in the IPL 2023 playoffs race, but only marginally.

IPL 2023: Full coverage | Points table | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple Cap​

The team is currently in the fifth spot with 14 points, while Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are fourth with 14 points and one game in hand.

RR, who reached the final last year, were once again seen as one of the favourites at the start of IPL 2023 but now rely on other results to qualify for the playoffs.

IPL Scenarios: How RR can still qualify despite being behind RCB

Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson has expressed shock at his team finishing with only 14 points. Samson also spoke about his team’s inability to better their net run rate (NRR) over RCB (+0.180).

Chasing 188, RR got to the target with two balls to spare. They currently have an NRR of +0.148. Had they finished the game in the 19th over, they could have had a better NRR than RCB, which could become a deciding factor in the end.

“I think at the end of the game, when Hety (Hetmyer) was going strong we thought we will finish by 18.5,” Samson said after the match.

“We have a quality team and it is a little shocking to see where we stand on the table.”

IPL: RR batters fire in unison to keep campaign marginally alive 

Samson also praised opener Yashasvi Jaiswal who made another fifty, scoring 50 off 36 balls.

“I have been talking about Jasiwal almost every game. He has shown maturity. It feels he has played 100 T20Is,” added Samson.

Shimron Hetmyer marshaled RR’s innings in the last part of the chase, scoring 46 off 28, but could not help his team finish the task before the last over.

“I was trying to see how fast we can get the game finished. I was actually trying to get the game finish in 18, but I guess I didn’t get enough of the strike to do that,” the West Indian said. “Had a little dip in the middle, but that’s how cricket goes sometimes.”

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.