Royal Challengers beat Rajasthan Royals

It was a dream start for the Bangalore team,one of the weakest teams in the first edition.

A disciplined bowling by Bangalore bowlers made the modest looking 133 a mountain to scale as every bowler bowled his heart out.

Paceman Praveen Kumar started the rot and gave the kind of start the Bangalore team needed as he removed Swapnil Asnodkar 0 and dangerous Greame Smith 2 in successive overs.

Kiwi paceman Jesse Ryder sent back Niraj Patel 4 and dangerous looking Tyson Henderson 11 to leave the Rajasthan team reeling at four for 28.

With wickets tumbling and determined Banaglore bowlers,supported by their brilliant fielders,not willing to concede even an inch,runs dried up for the Shane Warne led side.

The pressure mounted with the soaring requiring run rate as defending champions could score only 32 runs in the first 10 overs.

Former India Test captain Anil Kumble used the conditions to the optimum level and ran through the rival middle-order.

The leg-spinner removed devastating Yusuf Pathan 11 after Dimitri Mascarenhas ran himself out and the writing was clear on the wall for the Rajasthan team.

Except for three batsman,no Rajasthan player could reach the double digit mark.

Rajasthan Royals8217; defeat also meant that both the finalists of the first edition began their campaign in the seccond edition on the losing note.

In the opening match,Chennai Super Kings,last year8217;s runners-up,lost to Mumbai Indians by 19 runs.

Earlier,Dmitri Mascarenhas ripped apart the Bangalore top-order with his devastating spell but defying all the odds,Rahul Dravid played a gritty 66-run knock to lead his team to the modest total.

The England all-rounder wreaked havoc with his brilliant three-wicket haul as the Royal Challengers found it extremely hard to recover from the disastrous start.

Dravid led the Bangalore fightback with his third IPL fifty while skipper Pietersen 32 was the only other batsmen,who put up some resistance.

Dravid,who led the team in the first edition of the Twenty20 tournament ensured his team remain in the hunt with his 48-ball innings was studded with eight fours and a six.

Rajasthan skipper Shane Warne 2/18 and Munaf Patel 2/25 shared four wickets between them.

Mascarenhas provided a sensational start to the holders,scalping two wickets in the very first over of the game.

Mascarenhas struck on the second ball of the innings,having the dangerous Kiwi batsman Jesse Ryder 0 caught behind and then had the stumps of his compatriot Ross Taylor 0 rattled in the next ball.

Without a single run on the board the Bangalore team had lost two of its most destructive batsmen.

The Bangalore team had hardly recovered from the early shocks that they found Robin Uthappa 3 back in the hut when the flamboyant batsman,attempting a big shot holed out to stumper Mahesh Rawat off Mascarenhas.

Pietersen and Dravid steadied the rocking boat as both the batsmen hit some elegant strokes and kept the scoreboard ticking. They added 35-runs for the fourth wicket.

Just when the Bangalore team thought the dashing duo have settled and a competitive total is possible,Tyron Henderson sent back Pietersen sending more shock-waves to the rival camp.

Rajasthan skipper Shane Warne then spun his magic as he bamboozled Virat Kohli 3 and Balachandra Akhil 9 to leave Bangalore tottering at 68 for six.

A determined Dravid though batted with elan and patience and proved his worth in bowler friendly conditions.

His innings was a good mixture of aggression and control as it lifted his team from pits to a fighting position.