Punjab throws Rajasthan off rail by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Scorecard:	Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals
Player:	KC Sangakkara, IK Pathan, MM Patel

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DateLine: 26th April 2009

 

Kings XI Punjab beat Rajasthan Royals by 27 runs to win the 15th match of the second edition of the Indian Premier League at Newlands in Cape Town on Sunday. Punjab bowled superbly to defend a low score of 139 and restricted Rajasthan to 112/7 in 20 overs to register their second victory of the tournament. Kumar Sangakkara was adjudged the man of the match. Yusuf Abdulla took 3 wickets while Irfan Pathan and Piyush Chawla took two wickets each to rattle Rajasthan for whom Ravindra Jadeja (37) and captain Shane Warne (34) waged an unsuccessful battle. Rajasthan lost their seventh wicket when Jadeja was clean bowled by a yorker from Abdulla.

 

Rajasthan Royals were tottering at 48/6 in 10 overs. Pathan dismissed Swapnil Asnodkar (3) on his first delivery by having him caught at mid-on by Ramesh Powar. On the penultimate delivery of that very over Pathan dismissed Graeme Smith (2) with a gem of a delivery that was pitched up and swung away, taking the edge for Kumar Sangakkara to takes an easy catch. Abdulla then struck twice in three deliveries to reduce Rajasthan to 27/4. Abdulla first had Rob Quiney (7) caught down the leg side by Sangakkara and two balls later, got the ball to come in to rattle the off-stump of Dimitri Mascarenhas (4). Chawla had the dangerous Yusuf Pathan (10) caught by Karan Goel at short fine leg and in his next over had Abhishek Raut (1) caught at long off by Ramesh Powar.

 

Earlier, Rajasthan Royals restricted Kings XI Punjab to 139/6 in 20 overs. Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara was the only bright spot in the Punjab innings top scoring with a 51-ball 60 that was studded with a six and 7 fours before he was run out in the penultimate over of the innings. It was Sangakkara's partnership with Irfan Pathan of 75 runs for the 5th wicket that gave some respectability to the Punjab total.

 

Pathan struck 2 sixes and 2 fours in his 39-run knock that came off 33 balls before he inside edged a Kamran Khan delivery onto his stumps. Kings XI Punjab were reeling at 60/4 in 10 overs. Winning the toss and batting first, Punjab lost their first wicket on the first ball of the match when Karan Goel was run out. Kamran Khan then had Punjab's last match hero Ravi Bopara (11) caught at mid-on by Munaf Patel, who ran to his left to complete a good catch. Munaf got a delivery to move off the seam to have Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh (2) caught by wicket keeper Mahesh Rawat to reduce them to 38/3. Munaf increased Punajb's misery in the next over when he had Mahela Jayawardene (7) caught by Kamran Khan at mid-off.