Rajasthan Royals was officially shown the IPL exit after an ignominious defeat to Kochi Tuskers Kerala at the Holkar Stadium here on Sunday.
Man-of-the-match Brad Hodge picked up four wickets for 13 as a cataclysmic batting effort saw Rajasthan dismissed for a pitiful 97 in 18.3 overs. The Australian returned to top-score during the run-chase, making a speedy 33 (17b) to complete a grand personal performance as the home side settled the matter in under eight overs.
The result drove Kochi's points tally up to 12, still leaving it with a mathematical, although impractical, chance of qualifying for the play-offs.
Unfettered onslaught
Brendon McCullum commenced the run-chase in great haste, scoring a six and a four off Shaun Tait in the innings' opening three balls. Tait left McCullum's stumps in a glorious mess on the pitch on the fourth but the batsman was recalled after replays picked up a marginal back-foot no-ball. The Kiwi went after countryman Jacob Oram next, his onslaught continued unfettered after the reprieve. He struck three spectacular sixes straight over Oram's head, leaving the scoreboard reading 38 for1 after two overs.
McCullum was bowled by Nayan Doshi in the fourth over but Hodge picked up from where he left, scoring at a frenetic pace. He tucked into Ankeet Chavan and a typically erratic Tait, striking five fours and two sixes in all as Kochi raced home in 7.2 overs.
Inexplicable omission
Rajasthan fielded a side featuring six changes from the one that lost to RCB on Wednesday, inexplicably excluding a fit Johan Botha. Sent in to bat after losing the toss, the visitor made an uncertain beginning as the openers scratched around before departing within a ball of each other.
Faiz Fazal fell leg-before to R.P. Singh off the last ball of the third over with Rahul Dravid edging Sreesanth to slip off the first ball of the next. Only 32 runs were scored in the Powerplay overs before Shane Watson, dormant until the eighth over, loosened his shoulders.
Watson offered IPL debutant Padmanabhan Prasanth a sobering lesson in bowling to accomplished batsmen, thumping his first ball out of the stadium.
The hulking Australian struck two more sixes in the over, raising Rajasthan's hopes of a respectable total. They were, however, scuppered not long after when he was bowled trying to drive Prasanth Parameswaran through mid-wicket.
Farcical tone
Proceedings acquired a farcical tone thereafter as wickets went down relentlessly. Pinal Shah, playing his first match of the season, was Hodge's first victim, holing out to Gnaneswara Rao at long-on in the tenth over. Jacob Oram lasted only three deliveries, bowled by Hodge sluggishly aiming a drive through the covers.
Only Ashok Menaria managed something substantial for Rajasthan on the night, but his painstaking 31 ultimately proved futile.
Scoreboard
Rajasthan Royals: F. Fazal lbw R.P. Singh 16 (15b, 3x4), R. Dravid c Shah b Sreesanth 1 (4b), S. Watson b Parameswaran 20 (13b, 3x6), A. Rahane lbw Sreesanth 8 (9b, 1x4), A. Menaria c Shah b Hodge 31 (28b, 3x4, 1x6), P. Shah c Rao b Hodge 5 (5b, 1x4), J. Oram b Hodge 0 (3b), S. Warne b Hodge 2 (9b), A. Chavan run out 1 (3b), Tait not out 10 (9b, 1x4), Doshi c Jayawardene b Parameswaran 0 (13b); Extras (lb-1, w-2): 3; Total (in 18.3 overs) 97.
Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-18, 3-26, 4-63, 5-68, 6-77, 7-81, 8-82, 9-89.
Kochi Tuskers Kerala bowling: R.P. Singh 4-0-17-1, Sreesanth 4-0-16-2, Parameswaran 3.3-0-20-2, Prasanth 1-0-18-0, Hodge 4-0-13-4, Rao 1-0-7-0, Jadeja 1-0-5-0.
Kochi Tuskers Kerala: B. McCullum b Doshi 29 (12b, 1x4, 4x6), M. Jayawardene c Chavan b Oram 6 (3b, 1x4), P. Patel not out 21 (14b, 2x4, 1x6), Hodge not out 33 (17b, 5x4, 2x6); Extras (lb-5, w-2, nb-2): 9. Total (for two wkts. in 7.2 overs): 98.
Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-45.
Rajasthan Royals bowling: Tait 3-0-36-0, Oram 2-0-32-1, Doshi 1.2-0-15-1, A. Chavan 1-0-10-0.
Man-of-the-match: Brad Hodge
