Game Over

Rajasthan Royals bow out after a five-wicket loss to lowly Deccan Chargers

In the last couple of days,results elsewhere in the league continued to push the Rajasthan Royals to the brink of elimination and the five-wicket loss to Deccan Chargers on Friday sealed their fate in the tournament. The win which knocked the Royals out was only Deccans second in seventeen matches at home.

For large stretches of the match,Rajasthan never really got going,playing like a team that perhaps realised the gig was finally up. Batting first on a wicket that held no terrors,the side could never inject their innings with momentum,losing a stream of wickets right through. Rahul Dravid played a typically workman-like knock,accumulating 39 runs off 36 balls at the top,but went unsupported. Only one other batsman had a strike rate that was better than Dravids 108.33,and that was Ashok Menaria at 117.64. As the numbers indicate,the innings never picked up pace at any juncture.

Dale Steyn two for 16 turned in another good shift with the ball,sending back Ajinkya Rahane early but it was Amit Mishras strikes that really hurt the Royals. The leggie,who has faded away this season,bowled more like the spinner that claim wickets by the bucketful in earlier editions. He bowled Shane Watson with one that pitched on middle and hit off,and Stuart Binny with its counterpart,the wrong un. Owais Shah 28 struggled to time his shots despite spending 32 balls at the crease,as Rajasthan staggered to 126 for eight.

In reply,Shikhar Dhawan 26 of 24 and Akshath Reddy 42 of 35 made good use of the powerplay,going at almost ten an over by the time the field restrictions were lifted. Ajit Chandila one for 20 and Siddharth Trivedi two for 20 reeled the Chargers back,but with Shaun Tait having an off day he went at close to ten an over the comeback was never really on. Though the Chargers kept throwing their wickets away,the Royals had too little on the board to mount a successful defence.