Desperate Royals face Super Giants

Skipper Sanju Samson has been rendered doubtful after picking up a side strain as an inconsistent Rajasthan Royals seek to plug the holes across departments and halt a three-match losing streak in their IPL match against Lucknow Super Giants here on Saturday.

Head coach Rahul Dravid said the wicketkeeper-batter had “experienced a bit of pain in the abdominal area” following which he had undergone scans.

“Once we get a bit more clarity around the scans and the severity of (the injury) we’ll take a decision going forward and we’ll see what happens,” said Dravid on Friday, putting a question mark on Samson’s availability for the match and also his future participation in the IPL.

With just two wins from seven games, the Royals are languishing at eighth place on the table and are coming into the contest on the back of a gut-wrenching Super Over defeat to Delhi Capitals.

As the league hits the halfway mark, they’ll need to shake off the heartbreak quickly if they hope to upstage Rishabh Pant’s men and climb out of the bottom half. Plagued by inconsistency in both batting and bowling, RR’s campaign has struggled to find momentum.

Samson had suffered a side strain in the previous match and had to retire hurt though he later said he was feeling “alright.”

The Royals’ batting, built around Indian mainstays, has misfired far too often, leaving the middle order exposed and under pressure.

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, however, seems to have shaken off his rustiness with back-to-back half centuries against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and DC. But it will have to be seen if he carries the momentum into Saturday’s match.

Samson is yet to produce a defining knock. If Samson is available on Saturday, a lot will depend on his and Jaiswal’s form regarding how RR fare against the likes of Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi and Ravi Bishnoi.

Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel have not made much contribution so far in the batting front and the duo needs to fire if RR have to post or chase down a big total.

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