Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond lavished praise on skipper Sanju Samson for his leadership in the ongoing season of IPL. Samson has led his team from the front this season as the Royals are inches away from reaching the playoffs. The inaugural champions have put up collective effort on the field and have won 8 matches out of 10 so far, and the win will help them qualify for the next round.

Samson, who was criticised for his inconsistency in the last few seasons, played with a lot of maturity this edition and scored 385 runs in 10 matches including four half-centuries. The flamboyant batter has taken the onus on himself to take his team over the line on several occasions. He also got picked in India's squad for the T20 World Cup after a sublime show in the cash-rich league.

Bond heaped praise on Samson and said that he had learned how to manage his time and energy, which is crucial in a tournament like IPL.

"I am really impressed obviously coming into this team for the first time. It's been fantastic, he (Samson) is a fun guy. I think what he has been learning for the couple of years is managing his time, managing his energy. IPL is an energy-sapping competition, especially the backend and it's exciting to see his leadership. He has played beautifully and I am happy that he has been selected in the T20 World Cup squad," Shane Bond said in the pre-match press conference.

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Bond further hailed his players for consistent performances this season as they have failed to get over the line twice so far.

"We only lost 2 games in the tournament so we understand we are a tough team to beat. Credit to the boys, they played beautifully throughout the tournament," Bond added.

The Royals hold second place in the IPL 2024 standings with 16 points after winning 8 of 10 matches. They will face Delhi Capitals on Tuesday at Arun Jaitely Stadium. They will enter into the match after losing against the Hyderabad-based franchise by just one run and will be desperate to bounce back and seal the place in the playoffs.

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