Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson praised Mitchell Starc as “one of the best guys around in the world” after RR’s dramatic Super Over loss to Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Samson Retires Hurt Mid-Innings
During RR’s chase of 189, Samson was forced to retire hurt in the sixth over after attempting a cut shot off legspinner Vipraj Nigam. The shot missed, and he clutched his left side in pain. Although he struck the next delivery—a free hit—to long-off, he was unable to run and walked off the field, replaced by Riyan Parag.
At that moment, Samson was batting on 31 off 19 balls, having shared a rapid 61-run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal in just 5.3 overs.
RR Collapse Despite Strong Position
RR were in a commanding position needing 31 runs off the last three overs with eight wickets in hand. But Mitchell Starc changed the momentum, dismissing the set batter Nitish Rana (51) in the 18th over and bowling a brilliant final over filled with pinpoint yorkers, pushing the match into a Super Over.
Starc Dominates Super Over Too
Starc was handed the ball again for the Super Over and delivered under pressure. RR could manage only 11 runs and lost two wickets in five legal deliveries.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Samson admitted,
“I felt the score was chaseable, especially with the start we got. But Starcy’s last over was top quality. He won the game for them. He’s one of the best in the world.”
When asked about RR’s approach in the Super Over, Samson replied,
“The plan was simple — swing hard. You know he’s coming hard at you, so you go hard back. But it didn’t work today.”
Current Standings and Upcoming Fixtures
With this defeat, RR now sit at 8th place on the IPL 2025 points table with 4 points — tied with CSK, SRH, and MI. RR have had a mixed season so far: two early losses, two wins in the middle, followed by three more defeats including this Super Over thriller.
RR’s Upcoming Matches:
- April 19: vs Lucknow Super Giants (Home)
- April 24: vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Away)
- April 28: vs Gujarat Titans (Home)
RR will aim to bounce back in their upcoming fixtures and revive their campaign.
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