"Could produce a match-winning performance" - Daniel Vettori's advice to Sanju Samson ahead of Qualifier 2 against RCB
One of the biggest matches of the TATA IPL 2022 will be held today when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Rajasthan Royals in the Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Both teams have this last chance to make it to the finals of the tournament. A loss will shut down the door completely.
The inaugural season winner will have a big task in hand to tackle the spirited RCB unit, who are coming off two fantastic wins in their last two matches. The biggest challenge is to face the all-round attack of the RCB, which can restrict any batting lineup.
On the other hand, Rajasthan struggled in the first few overs of the last game, but skipper Sanju Samson played a really good cameo. So in this match as well, a lot will depend on the skipper and how he bats against the likes of Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood and Hasaranga.
Because RR can't depend on Jos Buttler, the skipper needs to take more responsibility. However, he played a really good knock of 47 off 26 balls in the last game but couldn't carry on. He was looking really good but got out at the wrong time.
On the other hand, death bowling is another issue for Rajasthan as they were not able to defend the target against Gujarat Titans. So it means if they bat first, they must post a big score to give them a good chance, and for that, the role of Samson is really important.
The former New Zealand skipper, who has also captained RCB in the IPL, Daniel Vettori, reckons that the way Samson is batting, he should bat like that. In a discussion with ESPNCricinfo, Vettori said that the way RR skipper bats is very exciting to see.
The former Kiwi skipper is hopeful that Samson will play the same attacking way against RCB as well and carry on till the end. He said, "If he bats for a long period of time, he could produce a match winning performance."
The match will start at 7:30 pm. Whoever wins the match will move to the final to face Gujarat Titans on Sunday at the same venue.