Rajasthan Royals thrashed Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets in their return-leg Indian Premier League match here today.
Kings XI Punjab were in a do-or-die game. Unfortunately, they were playing Rajasthan Royals at a venue where the hosts had not lost a single game till date. The Sawai Man Singh Stadium has been a fortress for the Royals. The Shane Warne-led team, now have eight wins of eight games in their kitty at this venue.
Their nine-wicket mauling of Punjab, with five overs to spare, finished off the Kumar Sangakkara-led side’s chances of making the semifinal. Punjab lost steam when they scored just 27 runs in their last five overs — the slowest scoring rate by a side during this period of play.
Royals are back on a roll with back-to-back wins and are in contention for a semifinal spot. The 109-run opening partnership between Michael Lumb and Naman Ojha set up the easy win. Lumb made 83 off just 43 balls to ensure that the chase went off smoothly.
Lumb’s innings not only gave the Royals a victory but also provided a big boost to their net run rate, something that may come in handy when the semifinal berths are decided.
The Royals started off well and collected 50 runs in just 5.4 overs. Lumb hit 16 fours and two sixes in his 43-ball knock. Lumb mcracked three fours and a six in a Juan Theron over, the fourth of the innings, and collected 20 runs to complete his half century in just 28 balls.
The momentum remained with the home team as the wickets of the visitors kept tumbling regularly. Not a single batsman crossed the fifty-run mark, though Mahela Jayawardene made 44 off 33. Jayawardene was all set for a big innings again but he edged Aditya Dole into the hands of Royals’s skipper Warne.
After his dismissal, Kings XI Punjab couldn’t move up a gear. Irfan Pathan and Ravi Bopara tried to steady the innings but a mix up in the middle ended Bopara’s innings. But, it was the wicket of Yuvraj Singh that hurt Punjab. Yuvraj hit three clean sixes and one four in his 28-run knock. However, he was cleaned up by Dole.
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