[1]Their campaign might have been hit by problems apalenty, but Rajasthan Royals showed no let up in the intensity on the field as they knocked out Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL-6 Eliminator here on Wednesday night in a thrilling contest.
The Royals won by four wickets, and will face Mumbai Indians in Qualifier2 for a place in the final in Kolkata.
Chasing a tricky 133 on the Kotla track, the Royals were staring down the barrel at 70/5 in 12 overs, before Brad Hodge (54 not out, 29 balls, 2x4, 5x6) came to the party to take them past the target in 19.2 overs.
Needing 15 off the last 12 balls in a tight chase, Hodge and James Faulkner (11 not out) kept their calm and displayed smart cricket despite the chips being down. Thisera Perera conceded just five in the penultimate over, leaving it 10 from the last six balls.
Hodge slammed Darren Sammy for two massive sixes to kill the chase in 19.2 overs.
Earlier, with Sammy breathing fire on the day — he scored a 21-ball 29 before returning to scalp Dishant Yagnik and Stuart Binny, besides a stunning catch that got rid of Watson — the Royals were on the back foot for most part of the chase, but Hodge ensured they were to stay in the competition.
In the evening, a disciplined bowling effort coupled with some tight fielding helped the Royals restrict the Sunriser.
Unheralded Vikramjeet Malik (2/14) stalled the Hyderabad innings, removing opener Parthiv Patel and one-down Hanuma Vihari by the third over — and the Sunrisers’ batting never took off from there.
On a day where there were going to be no second chances, the Royals’ bowlers made good use of the slow Kotla track, keeping the Sunrisers’ batsmen under check.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/s6jpg-839