Ajinkya Rahane contributed an unbeaten half-century as the Rajasthan Royals destroyed the Mumbai Indians by 87 runs in their Indian Premier League match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday.
Rahane weighed in with 68 not out off 54 deliveries with eight fours and a six as Rajasthan posted 179 for three.
Mumbai could only muster 92 all out off 18.2 overs with left-arm quick James Faulkner capturing 3-16, off-spinner Ajit Chandila claiming 2-6 and seamer Stuart Binny picking up 2-14.
Opening batsman Rahane brought up his seventh IPL fifty off 46 balls after making a fast start to his innings, striking three fours and a six off the first 15 balls that he faced.
But he was then content to play an anchor role to allow the Royals’ other batsmen to play the role of aggressors.
The right-handed Rahane shared in three half-century partnerships as Rajasthan made full use of winning the toss and electing to bat on a dry pitch.
Rahane and Shane Watson provided the Royals with a superb start thanks to a 62-run opening stand off 7.2 overs.
Watson looked in good touch as he thrashed his way to 31 off 25 balls with five fours and a six before he chased a wide delivery from medium-pacer Kieron Pollard to send an outside edge through to keeper Dinesh Karthik.
Dishant Yagnik and Rahane then built on the good start with a dashing second-wicket partnership of 53 off 6.2 overs before the left-handed Yagnik, who blazed his way to 34 off 24 deliveries, mistimed a reverse-sweep off the bowling of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and was caught at short third man.
Binny (4) was run out before Brad Hodge entered the fray with a quickfire cameo of 27 not out as he and Rahane pummelled 53 runs for an unbroken fourth-wicket stand off a mere 29 balls which included the pair hammering 19 runs off the last over of the innings, bowled by left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson.
Harbhajan ended with 1-26 off four overs but Johnson had a match to forget as he conceded 41 runs off his four overs.
Mumbai made a disastrous start to their innings as they slipped to 10 for two with Chandila removing Sachin Tendulkar (1) and Ricky Ponting (4) in consecutive overs.
Rohit Sharma (2) was the next man to depart, caught at midwicket off the bowling of seamer Siddharth Trivedi, as Mumbai lurched to 26 for three.
The big-hitting Pollard (1) was bowled by Binny with the score on 31.
Karthik and Ambati Rayudu (27) took the total to 61 before the in-form Karthik, after scoring a watchful 30, was caught at long-on off the bowling of Faulkner as Mumbai’s challenge faded away with only Rayudu offering much in the way of resistance before he was the ninth man dismissed.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS: AM Rahane, SR Watson, R Dravid (capt), BJ Hodge, STR Binny, JP Faulkner, K Cooper, DH Yagnik (wk), AA Chavan, A Chandila, SK Trivedi
MUMBAI INDIANS: RT Ponting (capt), SR Tendulkar, KD Karthik (wk), RG Sharma, KA Pollard, AT Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, R Dhawan, MG Johnson, PP Ojha, SL Malinga
