'Never thought we were in the game' - Sanju Samson over last-over cracker against Kolkata

The Monday night ( battle in the Indian Premier League (IPL) between the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) saw a dramatic finish to the game as the Royals managed to edge past their opponents in the final few deliveries to climb to the second spot on the points table.

Rajasthan set a target of 218, with the help of a stunning 103 off 66 deliveries by Jos Buttler. RR batter Shimron Hetmyer also played a decisive knock of 26 off 13 balls, whereas the skipper, Sanju Samson, scored 38 runs to keep the Rajasthan Royals above water.

Despite the 218-run target, the match went down to the wire. The wily leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal claimed a five-wicket haul, which included a magnificent hat-trick and a four-wicket last over, which turned the game favouring the Royals.

KKR's skipper Shreyas Iyer scored a quickfire 85 off 51 balls, and Aaron Finch scored 58 off 28 balls, but the Knights were eventually bowled out at 210.  

At the post-match presentation, the Royals captain Sanju Sampson confessed that he was tense and admitted that they need to correct little things as a unit.

"It got tensed," said Samson. "The quality of players made it very interesting. Very happy for the win."

"There are some things that need to be used at the right time. You need to be smart enough to slow it down. I respect KKR as a unit. We never thought we were in the game," added Samson.

The Kerala batter further praised individuals for their performance, which ultimately produced the win against KKR.

"I think I don't need to talk much about individuals. We are lucky to have great players. Special mention to (Ravichandran) Ashwin for his delivery to (Andre) Russell. 

Kolkata have now suffered their fourth defeat, resulting in them sitting at the seventh place on the points table. On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals gathered their fourth win and jumped to the second spot in the points table.