Rajasthan continues to dominate

In Match 44 of the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL), Rajasthan Royals defeated hosts Kolkata Knight Riders by 6 wickets at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Shane Warne’s Royals also emerged victorious the last time these two teams met earlier in the tournament.

Played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium at Jaipur, Rajasthan got off to a shaky start chasing Kolkata’s 147/8 seeking a ninth win in the series. Swapnil Asnodkar departed in the second over. Graeme Smith (24) and surprise number three batsman Sohail Tanvir (13) tried to steady the innings but both batsmen perished in the sixth over.

The in-form Shane Watson (19) found himself making the long way back to the dugout a few overs later. At 69/4 in the tenth over, the match was thrown wide open and it was anyone’s game.

But Rajasthan Royals is one team whose players have always put their hands up and managed to save the team from a tight situation. On Tuesday, it was the turn of Yusuf Pathan who blasted his way to an 18-ball 48. He formed an unbeaten 81-run partnership with teammate Mohammad Kaif (34).

Earlier in the evening, Shane Warne won the toss and elected to field citing the possibility of rain and the Duckworth-Lewis system coming into operation.

Kolkata got off to a shaky start with their opening combination failing to fire yet again. Then onwards, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals, courtesy some disciplined bowling by the Royals. Managing partnerships in patches but never one big enough to pose a threat, the hosts struggled to keep the momemtum going in the quest of setting up a competitive total.

Wickets kept falling thanks mainly to Rajasthan bowlers, Sohail Tanvir (3/36) and Munaf Patel (2/22).

Skipper Sourav Ganguly (32) and Debabrata Das (31) were the highest scorers for Kolkata as no one from their middle and lower orders showed any inclination of staying at the crease for too long. In the end, the home side could only put up 147/8 from their 20 overs.

Yusuf Pathan was adjudged Player of the Match for his fearless innings with the bat and a neat bowling spell of 1/14 from 2 overs.

The win only reinstates Rajasthan Royals’ position as IPL leaders. On the other hand, Kolkata’s fifth loss practically rules the side out of a semi-final berth in the IPL.

The next match of the IPL will be played between the Mumbai Indians and the Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium at Mumbai on Wednesday. Sachin Tendulkar’s team will be keen to avenge the loss it faced at the hands of the Mohali franchise earlier in the tournament and with Andre Nel expected to bolster the Mumbai bowling line-up, it promises to be a good contest.