IPL 2024 – RR vs PBKS – Sanju Samson: ‘We are facing some setbacks at the moment’

After their fourth consecutive defeat, against Punjab Kings in Guwahati, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson admitted that his team is “facing a failure” that needs to be fixed early.

“If we’re being honest, we have to sit down and accept that there are places where we fail,” said Samson. “When you lose four in a row, you have to find out what’s not working well in the team. When you get to the end of the season, you need someone to raise their finger and say, ‘I’m going to win the team game’.

“Yes, this is a team game, but we have a lot of winners in the side, and we need each individual to step up. So it’s about having the right players who can play hard, and win the game for us individually. If we all try that, even a couple [of players] being able to climb, can make a difference. We need those actors who can carry us.”

The Royals were playing their first home game in Guwahati this season and chose to bat on a wicket pitch that “wasn’t the best record,” according to Samson. They scored only 144 for 9, which Samson said was at least 20-30 runs less than he would have liked.

“We were expecting a better wicket, to be honest. I don’t think 140 wickets, but maybe 160 or 170 with the power and batting we have.

“We don’t usually play with wickets like this this season where teams have been scoring 200 or 220. We had to play smart cricket and focus on the basics and build momentum, trying to get boundaries here and there.”

Royals also struggled to bat first on a slow pitch in Chennai, where they were restricted to 141 for 5 after winning the toss and electing to bat.

While the Royals qualified for the playoffs after the Lucknow Super Giants lost to the Delhi Capitals on Tuesday – a development that came as a “relief” to Samson – their loss to the Kings left their No. 2 spot in jeopardy with both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super. Kings. Those teams might tie the Royals by 16 points and surpass them in net run rate.

Royals’ final league game is against table toppers Kolkata Knight Riders in Guwahati on Sunday.