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Despite emerging as the prime contender to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024<\/strong> at the halfway point of the season, Rajasthan Royals\u2019 (RR)<\/strong> campaign met its conclusion before the final. The Sanju Samson<\/strong>-led team suffered a 36-run defeat<\/strong><\/a> against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)<\/strong> in Qualifier 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday (May 24).<\/p>\n Bowling first, Rajasthan did a commendable job of restricting Hyderabad\u2019s intimidating batting unit, which has broken records aplenty this season, to a score of 175\/9. Key bowlers managed to keep the Hyderabad batters in check, showcasing their skill and strategy. However, despite their best efforts, the target proved too challenging for the Rajasthan\u2019 batters, who could only accumulate 139 runs in response.<\/p>\n After the game, Samson credited Hyderabad\u2019s spinners and noted the pitch\u2019s unexpected behavior in the second innings, acknowledging that their middle-over performance against spin was lacking and the turning wicket was well-utilized by the opposition.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was a big game. I am proud of our bowlers, but we were short in the middle overs. Their use of spin against our right-handed batsmen was good; we lost the game against spin in the middle-overs. When the ball was turning, we could\u2019ve used sweep or used our feet, but they bowled well. The wicket started behaving differently in the second innings. The ball started turning a bit and they used that advantage really well,\u201d <\/em>Samson said in the post-match presentation.<\/p>\n Samson discussed the unpredictable conditions, noting the absence of dew and increased ball turn in the second innings, which complicated their chase. He reflected on their batting strategy, acknowledging they could have used the crease better, but praised Shahbaz Ahmed<\/strong> and Abhishek Sharma<\/strong><\/a> for their effective bowling.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was hard to assess and guess when dew would come; it didn\u2019t come and it started turning a lot in the second innings, which made things difficult for us. The unexpected turn of the ball added to the challenges faced by Rajasthan Royals during their chase. Samson also reflected on the team\u2019s batting strategy, noting, When the ball was stopping and turning, we could have used the crease a bit better but they (Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma) bowled well and didn\u2019t give us anything to work with,\u201d <\/em>the 29-year-old concluded.<\/p>\nRR\u2019s commendable bowling effort falls short<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Also WATCH: \u2018Worst ball ever seen in cricket\u2019 \u2013 SRH\u2019s Aiden Markram delivers a bizarre no ball in IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 against RR<\/a><\/h3>\n
Sanju Samson\u2019s post-match reflections<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Unpredictable conditions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Also WATCH:\u00a0Kavya Maran jumps and dances as SRH beat RR to reach IPL 2024 final<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n