Praveen Kumar hat-trick sinks Rajasthan Royals

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Praveen Kumar hat-trick sinks Rajasthan Royals

Match Report: Match-10: Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Rajasthan Royals at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, 18th March, 2010.
Bengaluru, March 18: Praveen Kumar notched up the first hat-trick of the IPL 2010 to star in Bangalore Royal Challengers’ comprehensive ten-wicket win over the insipid Rajasthan Royals in match 10 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here tonight. The 23-year-old Praveen Kumar (3/18) and skipper Anil Kumble (3/9) destroyed the Rajasthan Royals who were bundled out for the season’s lowest total, 92 in 19.5 overs.

Praveen Kumar’s hat-trick came in the 17th over of the innings. The canny swing bowler’s first victim was Damien Martyn (bowled), debutant Sumit Narwal (caught in the deep) and Paras Dogra (bowled) with his second, third and fourth deliveries of his third over. This was the seventh hat-trick of the three-year-old IPL tournament.

Orange Cap holder and man of the match Jacques Kallis (44 not out, 34 balls, 7x4), the tournament’s highest run-getter with198 runs, and young Manish Pandey (42 not out, 30 balls, 7x4, 1x6) completed the formalities with 56 balls to spare. Bangalore Royal Challengers have chalked up their second successive win to run into form, while the Shane Warne led 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals tumbled to their third defeat on the trot. Bangalore Royal Challengers face table toppers Mumbai Indians on Saturday at Mumbai.

Injuries to South African captain Graeme Smith (finger) and England all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas (ankle) forced Rajasthan Royals to play Australian 38-year-old Damien Martyn and Yorkshire left-handed opener Michael Lumb against Bangalore Royal Challengers. There was a third change in the foreigner players list with out-of-form Shaun Tait making room for South African fast bowler Morne Morkel. There were totally five changes for the Rajasthan Royals today.

Put into bat, the Rajasthan Royals batsmen struggled as Dale Steyn, Praveen Kumar, D Vinay Kumar and Kallis contained the openers Naman Ojha and Lumb. The batsmen could not break free against the more accurate Bangalore Royal Challengers attack. Rajasthan Royals scored just 27 runs in five overs. Ojha, in desperation, swung Kallis wildly and was caught by Uthappa. Lumb was foxed by the wily leg spinner Kumble and was stumped for 10. Kallis was denied a wicket by umpire Hariharan who was unmoved after a confident appeal for a caught behind decision against Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, which was rejected. The veteran seamer had his revenge two balls later when the batsman chopped the ball on to his stumps. Rajasthan Royals had the slowest start of the tournament so far, scoring 45/3 in 10 overs.

The big-hitting Yusuf Pathan, who slammed a hurricane century against the Mumbai Indians, broke free by clubbing Vinay Kumar for two sixes in the 12th over. Pathan rode on his luck as he was dropped at 19 (Dravid). But he was back in the pavilion, run out for a 24-ball 26 as Kohli broke the stumps with a brilliant throw from covers. Martyn (19 off 24 balls), who was a pale shadow of his playing days, got his first boundary after 22 deliveries but was yorked the next ball by Praveen Kumar. The Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals innings was in disarray as debutant left-handed Sumit Narhwal pulled and Manish Pandey brought off a splendid catch at square leg. A pumped-up Praveen Kumar completed the first hat-trick of the tournament by clean bowling Paras Dogra in the 17th over.

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