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The incredible underdogs, the Rajasthan Royals, led by the inconquerable Shane Warne added a 15th win in 19 games at Fortress Jaipur as they beat the Pune Warriors by 6 wickets with 3 balls to spare in game 38 of the Indian Premier League season. The Royals picked up their 10th win in 11 chase attempts at Jaipur as they hunted down an ordinary 143/7 made by the Warriors thanks to the efforts of Kiwi powerhouse Ross Taylor, who made an unbeaten 47 runs to announce himself on the season. The Royals were helped immensely by some poor catching by Pune, who put down as many as three chances, which in the end cost them the match.

Rajasthan Royals, fresh from beating the then table toppers Mumbai Indians took on a rapidly disintegrating Pune Warriors side who came into this game on a five match losing streak. For a change, Yuvraj lost the toss and was asked to bat first by Shane Warne. While Rajasthan didn’t change their winning combination, Pune, keeping the slow nature of the pitch in mind, drafted Murali Kartik and Nathan McCullum into their side.

The Pune Warriors showed some positive intent as Rajasthan opted to open the bowling with spin. Johan Botha was hit for a couple of boundaries by Jesse Ryder, but the Kiwi opener gave away his wicket all too needlessly as he came down the track and got beaten in the flight, only to be stumped for 18 (12b). Robin Uthappa came in at one drop and struck Amit Singh for a couple of boundaries before welcoming Warne with an audacious reverse sweep. The well travelled Warrior hit the veteran legspinner for a couple more big hits in the over but Warne might have felt a little aggrieved as three close lbw calls were turned down. Pune were off the blocks in some style scoring 49 from the powerplay and more importantly had wickets intact this time heading into the middle overs.

Uthappa hit Singh down the ground and meted out the same treatment to Warne when he changed his end for the second over. The reverse sweep worked the first time but the next delivery showcased why Uthappa’s season has been like a soda bottle. Warne sent down a short one which straightened. Uthappa, trying to reverse sweep again, got a top edge and lobbed a simple catch to Yagnik to bring an end to an impressive 21-ball innings of 35. There was plenty of fizz in Uthappa's 21-ball innings of 35, but just when it looked destined for more, it ran out of steam. Yuvraj Singh came in next with an obvious mandate of keeping the momentum going, but it was the opener Manish Pandey, who had gone largely unnoticed till then, who started piercing the gaps. A delicate late cut against Botha and a whip of his legs off Warne had even the opposition applauding.

However, an unlucky 13th over for Pune changed the scenaior drastically as Siddharth Trivedi's outstretched fingertips on a firmly struck straight drive from Pandey saw Yuvraj (7) stranded short of his crease. The joy was doubled two deliveries later as Pandey 30 (31b) followed his captain back as he holed out at the deep mid-wicket. By the end of the 15th over, the Royals had clawed their way back into the contest and Pune were in the re-building phase at 102/4.

Mithun Manhas and Harpreet Singh were charged with the responsibility of taking Pune to a defendable target and both men rotated the strike well, but hits to the boundary had dried up. Once given a small window, the Royals’ bowlers made an appreciable comeback. Watson, Trivedi and Warne tightened the screws on the Warriors batsmen, who were clearly struggling due to the slow nature of the track.

Eventually Manhas ended the drought with one in the 17th over, but Singh’s innings of 13 (19b) came to an end in the following over as an attempted pull was gobbled up smartly by Rahane. The final over saw two sixes and two wickets. Manhas picked the length well and deposited the first delivery into the stands but Trivedi struck straight back removing the 31-year old Delhi veteran for 24 (19b). In the quest for every run Rahul Sharma was run-out but Nathan McCullum, batting ridiculously low at no.7 muscled one over wide long on to take the Warriors past 140.

143/7 is how it ended and the Royals would have undoubtedly been the more content of the two sides at the innings break. Despite having wickets in hand Pune managed just 52 in the last 8 overs, which included only one boundary and two sixes. They promised a lot in the beginning when Uthappa and Pandey were going strong but couldn’t capitalize at the right moment. Well, that has pretty much been their story so far this season.

With just 143 to defend, a no ball and a free hit is not an ideal way to start off things. Murali Kartik overstepped and Uthappa let one go through him and Rajasthan were on the move. Manish Pandey, in the same over dropped a tough chance offered by Shane Watson and it seemed like it was going to be one of those days for Pune. Rahul Dravid got going in the next over with successive boundaries off Alfonso Thomas. Shane Watson isn’t one to be left behind and he made his intentions clear when he launched Rahul Sharma into the stands. Pune needed a bit of inspiration to lift them and it was provided by Thomas. A change of ends did the trick for him and he produced a beautiful delivery which seamed away to put Watson back in the hutch for just 12. The icing on the over was provided five balls later as it ended a maiden. That squeezing over was followed by the return of shoddy fielding, this time Harpreet Singh was the culprit at mid-on dropping a regulation catch. Kartik who by now could have had two wickets had a desolate look about him as the first six overs ended at 34/1 with Dravid and Botha occupying the crease.

It was the very impressive Rahul Sharma who removed Rahul Dravid, caught for 18 by the bowler off his own bowling to give Pune a little bit more of a lift. Sharma has had an outstanding season thus far, picking up some massive wickets which include the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, and the Warrior added a second for the night when he trapped Botha in front of his stumps for 12 (18b). A couple of quiet overs ensued but Menaria wasn’t going to fall in the trap of picking up the pieces. A couple of sixes off Kartik and McCullum propelled the Royals to 92/3 off 14 overs. The Warriors called for the bowling time-out at this stage to slow things down with Rajastan needing another 52 from 36 balls to pick up another win at fortress Jaipur

And it worked immediately, Menaria went for three in a row but only managed a top edge and Thomas took a brilliant diving catch to stem the tide of poor outfield performance. That wicket-maiden (second of the innings) was followed by Ross Taylor’s blitzkrieg as Kartik’s day went form bad to worse. 17 runs came off the 16th over to bringing the ask down to 35 runs from 24 balls. Pune kept themselves in the contest till the penultimate over, when Taylor smote the longest six of the game, 101 metres. With just 6 runs required from the final over, the result was never really in any doubt, and Ajinkya Rahane, picked Jerome Taylor's all too predictable slower ball for the second time in the match to wrap things up with 3 balls to spare.

The loss takes Pune to the bottom of the heap while Rajasthan go in the opposite direction straight to the top. The result also means that the season is all but over for the Warriors, who can now only play spoilsport to other teams' qualification ambitions. The Pune side will be desperate to end their unbelievable losing run and they have the daunting prospect of the Mumbai Indians to face next, this coming Wednesday. After three wins on the trot, their last two on home soil, the Royals travel down south to take on the champions Chennai also on Wednesday.

Teams:

Pune Warriors: J Ryder, M Pandey, M Manhas, Y Singh, R Uthappa, H Singh, R Sharma, N McCullum, M Kartik, J Taylor, A Thomas.

Rajasthan Royals: S Watson, R Dravid, R Taylor, A Rahane, J Botha, A Menaria, A Singh, S Warne, S Binny, D Yagnik, A Trivedi

Mini Scorecard:

Pune Warriors 143/7 (20 overs, 7.15rpo)
R Uthappa 35 (21) S Trivedi 2/28
M Pandey 30 (31) S Watson 1/19

Rajasthan Royals 144/4 (19.3 overs, 7.38rpo)
R Taylor 47* (35)   R Sharma 3/13
A Menaria 29 (22)   A Thomas 1/28

File Photograph Copyright: Chris Brown

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