HAT-TRICK: Royal Challengers' Praveen Kumar being greeted by team members after taking the hat-trick wicket of Paras Dogra of Rajastan Royals. Photo: Bhagya Prakash K. A perfect blend of incisive bowling and emphatic batting brought ecstasy to Bangaloreans at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday night.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bowlers came to the party and executed their plans to a nicety. They shackled Yusuf Pathan and found their high-point through Praveen Kumar's hat-trick to pave the way for a facile ten-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in their DLF Indian Premier League match.
Powering ahead
Royals mustered 92 and RCB cantered home in 10.4 overs with openers Manish Pandey (42 n.o., 30b, 7x4, 1x6) and Jacques Kallis (44 n.o., 34b, 7x4) whittling down the runs with power and panache.
Royals' skipper Shane Warne came on to bowl in the sixth over but there was nothing much he could do as his team's meagre total meant that the former champion had perhaps lost the contest during the break. It was Royals' third consecutive defeat while RCB registered its second win from three matches.
After Kumble had opted to field, Royals struggled for batting fluency. Openers Naman Ojha and Michael Lumb fatally chanced their arms against Jacques Kallis and skipper Anil Kumble as the RCB attack remained niggardly.
Soon a sub-text of cat-and-mouse-game was played out when Yusuf Pathan walked in to a rousing round of applause after Kallis had castled Abhishek Jhunjhunwala. The trio of Dale Steyn, Kallis and Vinay Kumar repeatedly sent the cherry zipping past Pathan's nose.
Though the big-hitter clattered Vinay for two sixes, his marauding instincts remained muted. Yusuf (26) failed to capitalise on two reprieves, as a sprinting Rahul Dravid and a diving Vinay grassed him on 19 and 24, and eventually was stranded by Virat Kohli's throw.
Memorable 17th over
At the other end, Damien Martyn (19) failed to turn the clock back and was Praveen's first victim in a decisive 17th over. Martyn shaped to drill one past covers and found his stumps in disarray. Praveen then lured Sumit Narwal into a pre-meditated hoick and the steepler nestled within Manish Pandey's juggling palms.
A hat-trick was on and Praveen was not denied. After he castled Paras Dogra, the RCB fielders embraced him even as the stands erupted with joy.
Praveen's hat-trick, the seventh in the IPL and the first in the current edition, added a welcome halo to a perfect bowling outing for Kumble's men. The sparkle was enhanced later as Pandey and Kallis hurtled past the target at break-neck speed.
The scores:
Rajasthan Royals: N. Ojha c Uthappa b Kallis 16 (18b, 1x4), M. Lumb st. Boucher b Kumble 10 (18b, 1x4), D. Martyn b Praveen 19 (24b, 1x4), A. Jhunjhunwala b Kallis 5 (7b, 1x4), Yusuf (run out) 26 (24b, 1x4, 2x6), P. Dogra b Praveen 3 (9b), S. Narwal c Pandey b Praveen 0 (1b), S. Warne b Kumble 4 (7b), M. Morkel st. Boucher b Kumble 2 (9b), M. Patel (run out) 0 (2b), S. Trivedi (not out) 0 (1b), Extras (lb-2, w-4, nb-1): 7. Total (all out in 19.5 overs): 92.
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-31, 3-38, 4-75, 5-85, 6-85, 7-85, 8-91, 9-92.
Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Praveen 4-0-18-3, Steyn 4-0-18-0, Vinay 4-0-25-0, Kallis 4-0-20-2, Kumble 3.5-0-9-3.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: M. Pandey (not out) 42 (30b, 7x4, 1x6), J. Kallis (not out) 44 (34b, 7x4), Extras (w-7): 7. Total (for no loss in 10.4 overs): 93.
Rajasthan Royals bowling: Munaf 3-0-23-0, Morkel 3-0-34-0, Warne 2-0-12-0, Narwal 2.4-0-24-0.
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