"Hopeless captaincy" - Sanju Samson faces wrath of fans following RR's 3-wicket loss to GT in IPL 2024

The Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals (RR) lost by three wickets to Gujarat Titans (GT) in an IPL 2024 clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday, April 10.

Rajasthan failed to defend a stiff 197-run target in a last-ball thriller. Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill scored 72 off 44 balls, while Rashid Khan (24) and Rahul Tewatia (22) chipped in with valuable cameos towards the back end.

RR's four-match winning streak ended as they suffered their maiden loss of the season. Following the defeat, several fans took to social media, slamming Sanju Samson for his captaincy in the game.

Here are some of the top reactions:

Certain RR fans suggested that Sanju Samson's captaincy faltered at a crucial time, as he backed Kuldeep Sen over Trent Boult in the death overs. Sen conceded 20 runs off the penultimate over, bringing down the equation to 15 off six.

To make matters worse, Rajasthan were five minutes behind the over-rate, which forced them to have an extra fielder in the 30-yard circle. Avesh Khan bowled the final over but failed to take his team home.

"After such performance they lost because of very very poor captaincy by Sanju Samson. Whether Sanju's fans except it or not. Last year he did the same by loosing few games which were to be won. Because of this he is failing to get entry in Indian team." a fan wrote

"A big lapse in Sanju Samson's captaincy was giving his premier bowler Trent Boult only 2 overs — Royals lost to Titans in the end." wrote another

"I don't understand Sanju Samson's decision to not go with Trent Boult in the final over to defend 15 runs. He is an experienced bowler and also very economical today." posted a fan

Trent Boult bowled just two overs and gave away eight runs in the clash. A few fans opined that if Samson wasn't keen on using the left-arm pacer in the final overs, he should have finished his full quota earlier in the innings.

"Trent Boult only bowled 2 overs makes no sense. Bowl him for 4 overs at the top if you aren’t going to use him. Poor captaincy." commented a user

"Did #SanjuSamson forget that he has 2 overs left of #trentboult. Instead Trent Boult he chosen #AveshKhan and #KuldeepSen and ended up on losing side." another fan chimed in

"Only 2 overs from Trent Boult...Does that make any sense?" wrote yet another

While Sanju Samson received some flak for his captaincy, he shone with the bat. Riyan Parag and Samson were the top performers with the bat for Rajasthan, mustering 76 and 68* runs, respectively.

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"I think the last ball of the game" - Sanju Samson on where RR lost the match

Sanju Samson's comments at the post-match presentation also raised eyebrows as he reckoned that Rajasthan lost the match only on the last ball.

He mentioned that it was difficult for him, as a captain, to pinpoint where the side went wrong right after the game.

"I think the last ball of the game (where was the game lost?). Very hard to speak at the moment. The hardest job in the tournament is when a captain loses the game and has to tell where the game was lost. When the emotions come down I'll be able to tell clearly. Have to give credit to the Gujarat Titans. That's the beauty of this tournament. Will have to learn and move on," Samson said.

Despite the loss, Rajasthan are still atop the IPL 2024 points table. They will next take on Punjab Kings (PBSK) at Mullanpur on Saturday, April 13.