Thaindian News

Jaipur, April 29 (IANS) Rajasthan Royals were better equipped to surprise championship leaders Mumbai Indians on a difficult track, beating them by seven wickets at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here Friday to jump to the second position in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

With the win, Rajasthan Royals also snapped Mumbai Indians’ three-match winning streak and now have nine points from eight matches, while the visitors remained at the top of the league despite suffering their second loss from seven matches.

Royals’ skipper Shane Warne was spot on with his decision to bowl first as the spinners did extremely well, on a dry and cracked pitch, to restrict the Mumbai Indians to just 94 for eight, their lowest score in IPL history.

Off-spinner Johan Botha picked up three wickets for six runs while left-arm spinner Ashok Maneria got two for 20, including the prized scalp of Sachin Tendulkar, which was his maiden Twenty20 wicket.

Rajasthan Royals achieved the target by losing three wickets and with 11 balls to spare. Botha starred with the bat again, top scoring with 45 off 39 balls (4×2, 6×1) and was also adjudged the Man of the Match.

While Rajasthan Royals batsmen applied themselves on the slow turning track, Mumbai Indians failed to read the wicket and struggled against the spin.

None of the Mumbai Indians batsmen could get to 20 and failed to get a decent partnership. Andrew Symonds top scored with 17 while opener Davy Jacobs made 15.

Much was expected from Tendulkar, against his old cricketing rival Warne. But it was 20-year-old Maneria, who opened the attack, who ended all hopes of the much-expected duel, with a great delivery that enticed Tendulkar to charge the bowler and wicketkeeper Dishant Yagnik stumped the batting maestro.

Maneria bowled his four overs on the trot and in his last over struck again, taking an easy return catch off to dismiss the in-from Ambati Rayudu (11). The dismissal triggered the collapse of Mumbai Indians and they lost six wickets for just 37 runs.

Despite a slow start, Botha made the chase look easy. He was involved in two crucial partnerships with opener Shane Watson (26) and Ross Taylor (13 not out) that took the Royals home safely.

With Watson, Botha added 39 runs for the second wicket and stitched a 34-run stand with Taylor for the third wicket. Botha was bowled by Munaf Patel in the 18th over and at that stage, the hosts were just five runs away from a win.