Rajasthan Royals should have got over the line after the rollicking start provided by the openers to the chase against Lucknow Super Giants, said head coach Kumar Sangakkara.
Chasing the Super Giants’ 154 for seven, the Royals were coasting along when openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (44) and Jos Buttler (40) shared 87 runs in 11.3 overs. But some quick wickets derailed their chase and they eventually fell short by 10 runs.
“Our openers put on a really good stand. We were needing 8 per over when the 12th over finished with 10 wickets in hand, that’s not very difficult,” Sangakkara said during the post-match press conference.
“Unfortunately, we lost three wickets in three overs. We still should have gotten over the line. We had enough batting in the shed. We left it a little bit too late and needed too many boundaries in the end.
“At the back end, especially (Ravi) Bishnoi’s last over, we weren’t committed enough to take him down for three four sixes. Even if the batter got out that time it didn’t matter.”
The Sri Lankan great said the pitch was not easy to bat on as the ball got older.
“I think we got a better Powerplay than they did. It was all about targeting one or two overs but unfortunately every time we wanted to do that we lost a wicket,” Sangakkara said.
Riyan Parag could manage just 15 not out off 12 balls as they finished at 144 for six.
“In that situation (last couple of overs), he can just go out and hit as many sixes as quickly as he can. It’s a very clear plan that Riyan has. We just needed 2-3 sixes in the middle overs.”