Game played on: April 15

Venue: Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur

Shot won by: KKR, who chose to bowl

First Innings (RR):

Power Play Overs (1-6):

Lee’s return to IPL action must have inspired Gambhir to opt for the field, winning the toss. But if the Aussie’s first over was anything to go by, Gambhir would have been grateful it was Dravid and not Watson opening the batting for RR. As it turned out, RR was 45/1 at the end of the Power Play. The man out was Paunikar, while Dravid was still there at 17, along with Menaria, still without Watson.

Midway mark:

At the 10-over mark, RR had moved to 67/1, with Dravid on 32 and Menaria on 19. The last two overs had produced 22 runs and there seemed to be a sense of urgency.

Fifteen on stage:

In a single over, the only one he bowled, Pathan eliminated both Menaria and Dravid, with some cynics believing he had won the game for RR by replacing both batsmen with heavy hitters, Watson and Taylor. At 102/3, RR needed an explosive hit to get to a 170+ total that would be competitive on slow ground.

Slog Overs (16 – 20):

Despite three sixes in the first two slog overs, RR seemed to falter as they lost Watson, bowled by Shakib Hasan, the bowler who had attacked wildly during his stroke record 185 chasing 230 to win against Bangladesh, ago. few days. Warne Wards managed to get to 159/4, perhaps 15 runs or so below comfort.

First Entry Verdict:

Warne’s decision not to use Watson at the top of the order was puzzling considering the form the starter displayed in Bangladesh. To RR’s credit, he had never lost a match in which he defended a goal greater than 145.

Second entry (KKR):

Power Play Overs (1-6):

Bisla’s run in the second over brought Gambhir to the crease. Virtually forced into his natural starting role, Gambhir got into his rhythm very quickly. Power play overs brought in 62 runs, and with Kallis and Gambhir hitting the ball well, KKR looked commanding.

Midway mark:

Dropped twice, though both were tough chances, Gambhir had 49 of 27 balls, on a team score of 90/1. Kallis, content to play the passive partner, was 37 of 30 deliveries. The application fee was down to 7 runs, and with nine wickets in hand, it was hard to see how KKR could lose from here.

Fifteen on stage:

Forty more races added with no more wicket loss meant KKR was sailing to victory. There was a false alarm in the fifteenth, when Gambhir was caught at the Trivedi fence. Referee Aleem Dar said there was no ball as there were only three men, as opposed to the four fielder requirement, inside the circle.

Slog Overs (16-20):

It was all over, on the third ball of the penultimate over, when Kallis got the winning run, his 80th.

final verdict:

Rajasthan took a real beating from the Knight Riders, with part of the blame falling on skipper Shane Warne’s reluctance to hand over the opening spot to Watson. You’ll want your best batsman to take on as many deliveries as possible, especially in Power Play overs.