Mohali: Timely wickets from Yusuf Pathan and Siddharth Trivedi combined with a middle order collapse helped the Rajasthan Royals beat the Kings XI Punjab by 31 runs. In the process, the team notched their second win of the competition in this bottom of the table clash.
Chasing an achievable, yet dicey, target of 184, Kumar Sangakkara seemed to be in a hurry to finish off the game, smashing Tait and Co. to the boundary with immense confidence and authority.
The Aussie did get his own back when Sangakkara smashed the ball straight to Fazal at the third man boundary. If the Royals thought it was going to get easy after seeing the back of the Sri Lankan, they were in for a surprise, as Manvinder Bisla came out of nowhere and absolutely massacred the Royals’ bowlers.
Bisla’s 35 off 18 gave the Kings some breathing room before being dismissed by Warne. Yuvraj Singh 15 (13) couldn’t make the most of a second chance thanks to some smart bowling from Siddharth Trivedi.
The wheels came off the Kings’ chase from then on - leaving them with a mountain to climb. Mahela Jayawardene 23 (22) did provide some resistance, but all in vain as the Royals easily saw the game out.
After being put in to bat, the Royals began with much gusto - Michael Lumb and Naman Ojha piled up the boundaries with consummate ease. But Ojha was sent packing after he hit a Sreesanth delivery straight into mid-on’s lap. Lumb, on the other hand, continued to milk the bowling and pick up the odd boundary. The Englishman lost his concentration for a moment and that was enough for Piyush Chawla to get Lumb out stumped, thanks to some alert thinking from Sangakkara behind the wickets.
That brought the Royals talisman Yusuf Pathan on the field, and the all-rounder tried to do justice to his hard-hitting tag, smashing a boundary and a six before holing out to long-on. But the Royals were still scoring at a fair rate and Adam Voges’ inclusion only added an extra impetus to the Royals cause. The Aussie along with a determined Faiz Fazal made sure the Royals set a competitive target of 184.
After the highs in Chennai, the Kings XI once again flattered to deceive and will need to vastly improve their home form to stand any chance of qualifying for the semi-final stages.
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