Rajasthan Royals romped to a six-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Saturday. After bundling out the Bangalore side for just 70, Royals overhauled the target with seven overs to spare.
Royals’s response wasn’t exactly impressive, its top trio removed for just 36. Mitchell Starc and Ravi Rampaul bowled their quotas on the trot, their ends unchanged. While Rampaul contained the scoring, Starc got the ball to move, squeezing out snicks from both Ajinkya Rahane and Karun Nair off deliveries drifting away from the batsmen.
Ashoke Dinda, replacing Rampaul at the far end, proved as niggardly, conceding just two runs off his opening over, no mean achievement with Watson on strike.
The Royals captain lofted Yuzvendra Chahal twice over the ropes, but fell right at the threshold of victory, with just three runs needed.
Watson was foxed by Chahal’s slower one and holed out to A.B. de Villiers in the covers. Not wanting to take any chances perhaps, Abhishek Nayar ran the three required for victory.
Watson’s move to field first stood vindicated as the Challengers’s top order went into an incredible freefall. Yogesh Takawale was caught behind by Samson off Binny, while Parthiv Patel was run out with just one run on board. Yuvraj Singh hung his bat out to dry against Richardson, only to edge to Steve Smith at second slip.
The next scalp — a prized one at that — of de Villiers was also claimed by Richardson, the South African playing on. Sachin Rana departed in identical fashion, but off Watson.
Halfway through, RCB was tottering at 45 for six. Albie Morkel lofted Pravin Tambe to mid-off where Smith took his time to intercept the ball.
The captain proved as good as his team, as Kohli hit against Tambe’s wrist spin, but found Southee at mid-wicket.
Tambe’s four for 20 helped reduce the Challengers’s mighty batting to rubble, which duly fetched him the ‘man of the match’ award too.
Both teams incorporated two changes each. Karun Nair came in for Dhawal Kulkarni and Kane Richardson for James Faulkner for the Royals. For the Royal Challengers, Ravi Rampaul replaced Muttiah Muralitharan and Sachin Rana stepped in for Varun Aaron.
