Royals run riot in Jaipur

Smith: Scored an unbeaten 75 for the Royals

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Indian Premier League
Jaipur
Rajasthan Royals 197-1 (G C Smith 75 no, S A Asnodkar 50) v Bangalore Royal Challengers 132-9 (R Dravid 75 no)
Rajasthan Royals beat Bangalore Royal Challengers by 65 runs

Rajasthan Royals put themselves on the verge of a place in the semi-finals of the Indian Premier League with a 65-run win over Bangalore Royal Challengers.

After being put into bat the Royals lost only one wicket in their innings, Graeme Smith smacking an unbeaten 75 to steer them to a total of 197-1.

The Challengers failed to ever get going in reply, the recalled Sohail Tanvir and Shane Warne picking up three wickets apiece as the visitors slumped to 83-8.

Skipper Rahul Dravid played a lone hand to bring some respectability to his team's final total, hitting six fours and the same number of sixes as he finished on 75 not out.

Disappointing

Stuck at the bottom of the table with only two wins to their name, Bangalore were outclassed in all departments at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

Uncertainty surrounded the staging of the match at the venue, with Bangalore having requested the game be moved to the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Having come under pressure for his captaincy prior to the game, Dravid may well now regret his decision to send the in-form Royals into bat.

Smith and opening partner Swapnil Asnodkar, who impressed in making 50 from 44 balls, rode their luck to put on a century stand.

The Challengers made a mess of several chances in the field before eventually getting a breakthrough, Anil Kumble getting Asnodkar caught by Misbah-ul-Haq.

Wonderful Watson

However Shane Watson came in at three to continue the onslaught, hitting six boundaries to finish on 46 not out. He shared a partnership of 88 with Smith, who faced just 49 balls for his runs.

From the moment Tanvir struck with his third ball Bangalore collapsed in a hurry, the first three wickets going down with just five runs on the board.

In the end only three Challengers made it into double figures, South African Jacques Kallis contributing 20 off 29 balls to be second top scorer while Cameron White made 10.

Dravid fought on bravely despite already knowing it was a lost cause, hitting international colleague Irfan Pathan for three wickets in one over.

Victory for Warne's side not only leaves them firmly entrenched in the top four but also maintains their perfect record on home soil.