The Rajasthan Royals will be aiming to bring their campaign back on track when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders in a crucial 2023 Indian Premier League game on Thursday. The RR are currently fifth in the table with five wins in 11 games, and could likely lag behind in the race for playoffs with another loss. Sanju Samson‘s men had made a strong start to the season but faltered as it progressed; in the past five games, Royals have won only one. Moreover, RR are on a three-match losing streak.
Barring their game against Gujarat Titans where the side endured a poor batting collapse, the Royals have been competitive throughout the tournament and were on the brink of defeating the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous game. However, it was a no-ball that eventually made the difference in the game, with SRH’s Abdul Samad hitting a boundary off the final over to seal a dramatic win. And so, RR are still touted as one of the favourites for a playoff berth and former England spinner Graeme Swann lauded Samson’s captaincy, comparing him with legendary former India skipper MS Dhoni.
“What I love about Sanju is, like I said, in the five or six years that I have been covering the IPL, he has become more and more of a leader and a consistent senior player that his talent beckoned and destined him to be. Let’s face it: four or five years ago, everyone knew how good he was, but he would easily go six to seven games doing nothing and then have a brilliant knock. I think now he’s almost Mr. Dependable for Rajasthan,” Swann told JioCinema.
“And he’s very calm; he’s very assured; he is like a young MS Dhoni; I think with his captaincy. He doesn’t lose his calm, he doesn’t lose his cool, and he knows what is going on and reads the game well.”
Samson has scored 308 runs in 11 matches in the season so far, striking at an impressive 154.77. Last season, the wicketkeeper-batter had led the Royals to the final of the season and many are hopeful that the side will make a quick turnaround as the league phase enters its business end.
