Rajasthan win battle of Royals by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Scorecard:	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals
Player:	NV Ojha, RA Jadeja, Amit Singh
Event:	Indian Premier League 2009

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DateLine: 7th May 2009

 

Rajasthan bowlers Amit Singh and Ravindra Jadeja helped their side thrash Bangalore Royals Challengers by seven wickets in the 33rd match of the Indian Premier League. With this win, the Rajasthan outfit moved to the first place on the points tally.

 

Chasing a meagre 106, the Royals raced home with five overs to spare. Though Graeme Smith (20) fell to Jacques Kallis early, wicketkeeper batsman Naman Ojha (52) scored his half-century of the tournament and made sure he held fort for his team to pass off the modest target with total control.

 

He added 21 runs with Lee Carseldine (9) who was then run-out in a bad mix-up with Ojha. After that Ojha and Yusuf Pathan added 43 runs for the third-wicket before Pathan was sent back by du Preez.

 

The Pathan dismissal it seemed was a well thought one as he was continuously troubled by bouncers and he looked in total discomfort against that length. The Bangalore team with this have definitely given all other sides a way to counter the Baroda basher.

 

After Pathan's fall though there were no further hiccups. Naman Ojha got along with Ravindra Jadeja and finished the match, completing his second consecutive half century in the process.

 

Earlier, Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne won the toss and decided to bowl first on a hard new Centurion surface.

 

The bowlers immediately got into the act and Amit Singh continued his good work scalping the first wicket to fall in the form of Wasim Jaffer (8) in the third over. Jacques Kallis (10) then was the next wicket to fall. He was picked up by Munaf Patel.

 

Rahul Dravid, who walked in to bat also failed to lift the team from the early losses. He himself fell for a duck to Carseldine chasing one going down leg and in the process gloved a catch to the keeper for a duck. Carseldine though had no reasons to complain and was delighted to have picked up the trump card.

 

Soon after, the collapse began with Jadeja taking a wicket off his very first ball to send back Robin Uthappa (17), who till then was looking good. Jadeja then followed it up with the prized wicket of Mark Boucher who played one down and with this Bangalore was pushed deep into the mire.

 

Thereafter, Jadeja claimed his third victim in the form of Virat Kohli to trigger the Royal Challengers collapse.

 

The Bangalore outfit could never revive from the loss of so many early wickets and kept on losing more at regular intervals. They somehow managed to cross the hundred-run mark only in the 19th over.