Rajasthan Royals' Chris Morris and Chetan Sakariya celebrate the wicket of KKR's Dinesh Karthik in Mumbai on April 25, 2021.
Only two nights earlier, Rajasthan Royals were hammered by an imperious Royal Challengers Bangalore side at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. But the Royals have turned things around with an impressive six-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders at the same venue. Although, it hasn't made much of a difference in the points table, where they now stand sixth after only their second win in the tournament, the win will surely lift their spirits as they head further into the competition.
The Royals plan
For a bowling attack that was torn apart by the Padikkal-Kohli assault in the previous game, Rajasthan Royals showed no signs of baggage on Saturday evening at the same venue, showing immense discipline in their attack against Kolkata Knight Riders after opting to field first. Taking the pace of the ball has been key for pacers at the Wankhede this season and the Royals simply banked on that plan. Almost 70 per cent of their deliveries were between the 90 and 130 kmph with the left-arm pace trio dishing out more cutters than often, while hitting the good length.
Rajasthan Royals' bowling speed map
Morris wins Russell, Karthik match-up
Russell and Karthik were key, along with Pat Cummins, in KKR's late fightback, albeit in vain, against Chennai Super Kings earlier this week in the chase to 221. With Chris Morris having an edge against the two in the head-to-head tie, his bowling usage in the game by Sanju Samson held the key.
He bowled the fifth and the 11th over, inflicting one run out and conceding just 9 runs. And although Karthik, whom he has dismissed four times in T20 cricket in 32 balls for just 39 runs, had stepped in the 11th over after the run-out dismissal of Eoin Morgan, Samson waited to re-introduce Morris until the 18th over, when KKR had both Russell and Karthik in the middle.
In his second ball against Russell, the West Indies all-rounder smacked the yorker for a huge six into the sightscreen. A delivery later, Morris had the last laugh with a fuller delivery angled into him. Russell lost his shape and failed to get underneath the lofted stroke as he holed it out to David Miller at long-on. It was the fifth time in 28 deliveries that Morris had dismissed Russell, conceding just 38 runs.
"We have done quite a lot of homework, he (Russell) got a 20-ball fifty in the last game, so he's hitting the ball sweetly and you have to be lucky and today I got lucky. Sometimes you have to hope that the guy mishits the ball," Morris, who finished with 4 for 23, his joint-best figures in IPL, said at the end of the first innings.
Another delivery later, his first against Karthik in the game, Morris got the better of the former KKR captain, courtesy of an outstanding catch by Chetan Sakariya at extra cover.
Samson's cautious batting
Enough has been said about Samson and his IPL trend of flourishing only in the early part of a season. His aggressive batting approach too hasn't gone down well with critics of the game, despite his Power Rating of 160, according to CricViz, is only behind Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, and Nicholas Pooran in the last three IPL seasons. But on Saturday, it was a different side of Samson that was witnessed at the Wankhede as the Royals marched to a comprehensive win. With Jos Buttler getting out in the fourth over, Samson got off to a steady start in the PowerPlay, hitting two boundaries, but with the field spreading and the spinners regulating from both ends, the skipper took the game cautiously. Only nine of the 38 deliveries that he faced in the game were dot balls and induced only one false shot as Samson scored 39, laced with two boundaries and a six.
Talking about his own batting approach, Samson said, "Situation of the match demands the way I play. That's what I've learned from previous years. Even if you bat and score a quick fifty you feel bad if the team doesn't win."
Why did Rajasthan send Rahul Tewatia ahead of David Miller?
Miller has been assigned the role No.5 role in the batting lineup, with Tewatia as the finisher. But on Saturday, after the dismissal of Shivam Dube, in the 11th over, Tewatia had walked in. Miller later explained it as a tactical move by Kumar Sangakkara, who felt that Tewatia, with his ability to execute the sweeps and reverse sweeps, could help them see off the seamers before Miller stepped in.
"In T20 cricket, everything happens rather fast, it was a tactical decision (batting down the order), and came off well tonight. The key is to finish off games, I will not mind batting anywhere, just want to help the team win. Tewatia is a local and he plays the spinners well, brings out the sweeps and reverse sweeps," he said in the post-match presentation.
Tewatia scored 5 off 8 and was dismissed after the two spinners - Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy - had ended their spell. Miller then added a cautious 34-run unbeaten stand alongside the skipper scoring 24 off 23 laced with three boundaries.
