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Durban - After being put into bat Rajasthan totalled 211 for six thanks to the biggest partnership in this season’s IPL as Graeme Smith and Naman Ojha put on 135 runs for the first-wicket before Rajasthan restricted Punjab to 133 for eight from their 20 allotted overs.
Punjab’s innings got off to a terrible start as they slipped to two for two after one over with seamer Amit Singh, in his first Twenty20 match, making the early inroads.
Punjab’s troubles worsened when they slumped to 39 for five inside eight overs with Kumar Sangakkara (11) and Simon Katich (ten) the only batsmen to make double figures.
Irfan Pathan (19) and Yuvraj Singh steadied Punjab’s innings somewhat with a sixth-wicket stand of 48 runs off 39 balls before Pathan was trapped leg-before by leg spinner Shane Warne.
Pathan’s dismissal, after 13.3 overs, left Punjab needing to score at 19.2 runs to the over. Yuvraj tried his best to save his team with 48 off 39 balls but he became Amit Singh’s third wicket when Yuvraj top-edged a delivery to Shane Harwood at square-leg to leave Punjab on 127 for eight.
Amit bowled with excellent control as he returned figures of 3-9 off four overs.
Earlier, Smith and Ojha’s 91-ball partnership eclipsed the 127-run partnership that Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya put on for the Mumbai Indians against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Port Elizabeth earlier in the season.
Rajasthan’s final score was also comfortably higher than the tournament’s previous highest score this season of 189 for five which the Delhi Daredevils scored against the Chennai Super Kings in Durban.
Smith shrugged off his recent poor form in the competition to carve his way to 77 off 44 balls with 12 fours and a six before he lifted a delivery from off spinner Ramesh Powar to Piyush Chawla at long-on.
Ojha was the initial aggressor in the opening stand as he blasted 16 runs off the first over of the innings, bowled by Powar, before the right-handed Ojha played second fiddle to Smith.
Ojha brought up his first half-century in twenty20 cricket before he skied a delivery from leg spinner Chawla and was caught by Katich at midwicket for 68 runs off 51 balls with five fours and five sixes.
Ravindra Jadeja continued his openers’ good work by smashing 33 runs off 12 balls to take Rajasthan past the 200 mark.
As to be expected Punjab’s bowlers struggled with only Chawla, with figures of 2-30, making much of an impression.
Punjab’s innings got off to a terrible start as they slipped to two for two after one over with seamer Amit Singh, in his first Twenty20 match, making the early inroads.
Punjab’s troubles worsened when they slumped to 39 for five inside eight overs with Kumar Sangakkara (11) and Simon Katich (ten) the only batsmen to make double figures.
Irfan Pathan (19) and Yuvraj Singh steadied Punjab’s innings somewhat with a sixth-wicket stand of 48 runs off 39 balls before Pathan was trapped leg-before by leg spinner Shane Warne.
Pathan’s dismissal, after 13.3 overs, left Punjab needing to score at 19.2 runs to the over. Yuvraj tried his best to save his team with 48 off 39 balls but he became Amit Singh’s third wicket when Yuvraj top-edged a delivery to Shane Harwood at square-leg to leave Punjab on 127 for eight.
Amit bowled with excellent control as he returned figures of 3-9 off four overs.
Earlier, Smith and Ojha’s 91-ball partnership eclipsed the 127-run partnership that Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya put on for the Mumbai Indians against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Port Elizabeth earlier in the season.
Rajasthan’s final score was also comfortably higher than the tournament’s previous highest score this season of 189 for five which the Delhi Daredevils scored against the Chennai Super Kings in Durban.
Smith shrugged off his recent poor form in the competition to carve his way to 77 off 44 balls with 12 fours and a six before he lifted a delivery from off spinner Ramesh Powar to Piyush Chawla at long-on.
Ojha was the initial aggressor in the opening stand as he blasted 16 runs off the first over of the innings, bowled by Powar, before the right-handed Ojha played second fiddle to Smith.
Ojha brought up his first half-century in twenty20 cricket before he skied a delivery from leg spinner Chawla and was caught by Katich at midwicket for 68 runs off 51 balls with five fours and five sixes.
Ravindra Jadeja continued his openers’ good work by smashing 33 runs off 12 balls to take Rajasthan past the 200 mark.
As to be expected Punjab’s bowlers struggled with only Chawla, with figures of 2-30, making much of an impression.
