Punjab Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by four runs in a high-scoring Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Wankhede Stadium on April 12. The match saw Sanju Samson hit a sensational century to bring his team closer to the victory line. But a fine last-over by Arshdeep Singh sealed the deal for his team.

Samson, who turned down a single on the penultimate ball, hoping to see his team home, said that it was a close game and he doesn’t think he “could’ve done anything more.”

“I don’t have words to tell, very close game, came close but unfortunately. I don’t think I could have done anything more, timed it well, but unfortunately couldn’t clear the man in the deep. It’s all part of the game,” the RR captain said during the post-match presentation.

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When asked about the bowlers going for plenty from both sides, Samson said, “We thought the wicket was getting better and we could chase the target down. Despite the loss, I think the team played really well.”

For Punjab Kings, captain KL Rahul (91 off 50) and Deepak Hooda (64 off 28) powered their team to a mammoth 221/6 after being invited to bat on a belter.

Samson almost took the Royals home with a breathtaking 119 off 63 balls but was caught off the game’s final ball with left-arm pacer Arshdeep defending 13 runs in the last over.

Talking about his performance that won him the man of the match award, the right-handed batsman said: “I think the second part of the innings was the best I ever played, took my time and respected the bowlers, whereas in the first part I was not timing it very well.”

“I took the singles and got into a rhythm and then I started to play my shots in the second half. I enjoy my shots but I come back to the present after I play those shots. It automatically happens, when I focus on my skills and watch the ball and react. Sometimes I lose my wicket also, so I just play the same way. It’s about trusting my processes to be honest, and I did that, and it came off tonight,” the batsman from Kerala added.

The Rajasthan-based team will play the Delhi Capitals in their next IPL 2021 match on Thursday and Punjab Kings will take on the Chennai Super Kings on Friday.