IPL 2022 | Rajasthan Royals deserved to finish in top 2, says skipper Sanju Samson

Rajasthan Royals (RR) have qualified for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 playoffs, finishing second in the points table with 18 points after their five-wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 20. Rajasthan will meet table-toppers Gujarat Titans (GT) on Tuesday in Qualifier 1 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Delighted by his side's performance, skipper Sanju Samson has lauded his teammate's efforts and expressed that they deserve the top 2 spots. According to cricket.com, Sanju said, "Feels good. The way we've played throughout the league stage stands out. We've had great games where almost everyone has stood up to win games. We deserve to be in this position is what I feel,"

With Moeen Ali going all out, the RR bowlers came under tremendous pressure but made a remarkable comeback, giving away just 65 runs in the last 76 deliveries.

Speaking about his bowling unit, the right-handed batter said, "It was important to understand that the wicket was good and they just kept going. It's hard to stop someone like Moeen Ali. It was okay to go for runs. We knew we could believe in our bowlers to come back stronger, we came back stronger than expected to give just 75 after the powerplay,"

The skipper, in particular, praised West Indies' Obed McCoy, who finished with figures of 2 for 20 in his four overs. "I wanted to bring McCoy over when the powerplay was done and he was more confident and comfortable. He used his change-ups and is maturing as a cricketer really well,"

The Kerala-born also lauded Ravichandran Ashwin's all-round show this season. He scored an unbeaten 40 off 23 last evening, chasing 151 to win.

"Ashwin has done a great job and has turned out to be a great all-rounder for us. He batted a lot in the nets before the season," he concluded.