IPL: Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians

In the most thrilling encounter yet Rob Quiney hit 51 and Ravi Jadeja 42 as the Royals made 145 for seven before the Indians were bowled out in the final over for 143, captain Shane Warne leading the way with three for 24. Innings of 40 in 30 balls from Sachin Tendulkar and 35 in 18 balls from Abhishek Nayar got the Mumbai side back on track before Munaf Patel bowled the final over, with four runs required to win, conceding one run as three wickets fell to hand the Royals victory.

Nayar looked as if he’d done enough to get his side back in the match when he thumped debutant Johan Botha over cover for a big six but his dismissal one ball later, run out when he failed to deal with a yorker, sparked the demise of the Indians. With Harbhajan Singh stranded at the other end, Patel trapped Dhawal Kulkarni in front for one before Chetanya Nanda and Lasith Malinga were run out without scoring.

Both Tendulkar and Nayar hit four fours and a six. Warne, defying a hamstring injury, grabbed the key wickets of Ajinkya Rahane (3), Sanath Jayasuriya (16) and Tendulkar, trapped in front just when he was looking at his most dangerous best. Patel, who had Dwayne Bravo caught and bowled for one early on, finished with two for 22 with Siddharth Trivedi grabbing two for 19.

Quiney’s maiden IPL half-century, coming in 37 balls with five fours and two sixes drove the Royals to a competitive score as all of their top four batsmen made starts. Jadeja hit 42 in 32 balls, also hitting four fours and a six while Graeme Smith made 19 and Yusuf Pathan 17. Sanath Jayasuriya was the most successful bowler, taking two for three while Malinga, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan and Nanda picked up one apiece.

Rajasthan have 13 points from 12 games while Mumbai have 11 points from 12 games.