Rajasthan Royals scripted a two-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders. The Rajasthan-based franchise has 12 points from 7 games and is leading the points table. Jos Buttler’s second hundred of IPL 2024 led the Royals to an emphatic win. However, a big tactical blunder from RR captain Sanju Samson and head coach Kumar Sangakkara could have defeated their team.
Despite the presence of big hitters like Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin was sent to bat with Buttler. The off-spinner failed to time the ball and was finally dismissed after scoring eight runs off 11 balls. Till then, Ashwin was at the crease, but Buttle was getting anxious and trying different things to get the scorecard ticking.
Ambati Rayudu was surprised with the move. “I was surprised with Ashwin coming ahead of Hetmyer and Rovman. This could have result in Buttler’s dismissal as he would have tried to make up for the dot balls played by Ashwin,” Ambati Rayudu said.
Harbhajan Singh questioned the move. “Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell are in the team but you still preferred Ashwin over them. This move would have been discussed for a long time had they lose the game,” Harbhajan Singh said.
Varun Aaron was surprised by the decision-maker’s call.
“If RR were 30/4, the move would have termed good but not when they needed runs at a brisk pace,” Varun Aaron said.
