Sanju Samson defends Tanush Kotian opening gamble

The Rajasthan Royals edged out the Punjab Kings in a thrilling match played last night. The contest went down to the wire, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.

Batting first, the Punjab Kings could only manage a total of 147 in their allocated 20 overs. The score would have been lesser had it not been for a vital cameo by the impact player, Aashutosh Sharma. Sharma smashed 31 off just 16 balls to help the Kings put up a respectable total. The chase was expected to be an easy one for the Royals but that wasn't the case. Punjab bowled extremely well to take the match deep, eventually losing off the penultimate delivery.

This win will be a major confidence booster for the Rajasthan Royals as they were put under pressure and yet managed to come out on the right side of the result. The Punjab Kings, on the other hand, will be looking to bounce back from this defeat and improve their performance in their upcoming matches.

Sanju Samson defends Kotian's promotion

The Rajasthan Royals' decision to promote spinner Tanush Kotian as an opener in their win against the Punjab Kings sparked debate. Kotian, known for his bowling and lower-order batting, managed just 24 runs off 31 balls while chasing a modest total. This slow and shaky start put pressure on the Royals' middle order.

However, skipper Sanju Samson defended the unconventional move. He explained that with regular opener Jos Buttler unavailable, he opted not to disrupt the established batting order by shuffling players up. Samson revealed his faith in Kotian stemmed from the spinner's strong domestic performances and impressive showings in the team's net sessions.

"Tanush is a very interesting player. He had an outstanding Ranji trophy and everyone was impressed on seeing him bat in the nets. We had a proper settled batting line-up and we didn't want to disturb that for one game," Samson said.