Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals faced each other again in back-to-back matches after a 2-day gap. The venue changed, Royals changed the team also, and the bowling attack pattern almost completely in an effort to take revenge, yet all ammunition backfired and at Eden Gardens Warne’s troop was humiliated.
Royals Scored third Lowest IPL Total
Sent to bat first Royals collapsed to the third-ever lowest total of IPL, despite making drastic changes to their batting. Thee rested their top two run-scorers of the tournament, Dravid and Botha. No wonder the team could just score 81 runs, as Watson and Ross Taylor – the only two recognized batsmen- failed to fire.
Balaji started the devastation by taking out opener Watson cheaply in 4th over and finished with a match winning performance taking 3 wickets. Shakib missed hattrick, Abdulla, Yusuf Pathan and Brett Lee also contributed to the pyre of Royals.
Kallis Shocked, Gambhir and Tiwary complete the Chase with Ease
Tait, included at the cost of in-form Botha, sent Kallis back for a duck. Other opener Bisla was never comfortable in 22 balls he took to score 9 runs. His dimissal on Karbon Kamaal catch by Raut on the bowling of Warne gave Royals some hope. But, captain Gambhir and in-form Manoj Tiwary defied any such false expectation and completed the chase in 14th overs.
Surprises of the Match
Non-inclusion of his top two batsmen of the tournament in the revenge match against Kolkata Knight Riders surprised all, and how much did it cost!! Royals could not even touch triple mark while batting first.
All-Australian Attack
For the first 11 overs, Warne only used himself, Tait and Watson hunting for a wicket. In the end the earned only two wickets. Ironically, Tait was hit by Manoj Tiwary and Gambhir for 21 runs in his last over, which was enough to complete the formality of chasing.
Questions and Questions!!
Warne’s tactics in both the defeats aganist KKR has amused many, probably because both the matches they lost without any fight. So far he has always sung laurels about his Indian bowlers and batsmen – the local players specially. Trivedi and Amit Singh are his successful opening duo pacers. Yet today when his team needed to defend 81 runs, he did not use any of them till 12th over, when he and Watson had finished their quota without much success and only one over by Tait was left. So much for his boys prepared to fight under pressure!!
Balaji – Player of the Match
Balaji took the most important wicket of the match. He sent the in-form record breaker and wrecker Watson back to pavilion. Later he also took the wicket of Menaria, Royals highest scorer of the match. His 3-wicket haul giving just 15 runs in 3 overs sent Royals in submission.
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