Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
The clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals saw the first one-sided contest of the IPL 2022 season. Royals defeated Hyderabad by a considerable margin of 61 runs and became the first team to do so after batting first. The Royals' batter made a collective effort to post mammoth 201 runs as a target, and Yuzvendra Chahal and Prasidh Krishan shone with the ball to overcome the orange army.
Changes in the table
After defeating Hyderabad with a considerable margin, Rajasthan Royals are at the helm of the points table. With two points and a +3.050 net run rate, the Sanju Samson-led side has secured the first position in the table. Meanwhile, Kane Williamson's side faced the heat of thumping defeat in the game as they are placed at the bottom of the points table. Sunrisers Hyderabad has zero points and - 3.050 net run rate after their first season clash. Royals will lock horns with five-time champions Mumbai Indians on April 2 at DY Patil Stadium, while Sunrisers Hyderabad will cross swords with Lucknow Super Giants on April 4, 2022, on the same ground.
Today's match:
Kolkata Knight Riders will be up against Royal Challengers Bangalore in today's game. Both the teams had contrasting results in their respective clashes; RCB failed to defend 201 runs and lost the game to Punjab Kings. Meanwhile, KKR emerged victorious against defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the season's first clash. KKR is placed at the fourth position, while RCB has been pushed to the seventh position in the points table.
What does the captain say?
Royals' skipper Sanju Samson who also bagged Man of the Match for his blistering 55 off 27 balls, was delighted after starting on a positive note and credited the coaching staff and management for picking up the right side for the season. He said, "Many cricketing brains have gone in to pick the right side. This season we have come in with great dreams. Our owners take great care of us." He also stressed on his fitness and informed that he has been working hard on his fitness to stay available throughout the tournament as he has the responsibility to lead the side. Samson also emphasised that the team is taking one game at a time and not eyeing on long time goals.
Whereas, skipper of Hyderabad franchise Kane Williamson highlighted that they have a lot of homework to do a few things which they planned didn't work well. Williamson also confessed that too many no-balls from his bowlers was something he was not expecting and said, "it's not a nice thing in such a crucial tournament." Skipper hailed the young prodigy, Umran Malik, for exceptional talent and said, "he has a long way to go as he is too raw and possesses a lot of potentials to do well in the tournament." For us as a side and as a young team, we want to make sure that we stay engaged throughout, be nice and clear on what we're trying to execute. With the bat, it was tough; the ball moved early on we needed to navigate that as well as we could. Today wasn't our day," concluded Kane Williamson.