Royals claim IPL win

Pathan half-century seals comfortable success

Last updated: 9th May 2008

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The Rajasthan Royals completed a facile eight wicket victory over a lacklustre Deccan Chargers side in Friday's Indian Premier League action.

The Chargers recorded a modest 140-8 in their 20 overs despite a solid opening partnership between Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs, but it proved wholly inadequate as the Royals knocked off the runs with 24 balls to spare.

Gilchrist was in sparkling form early on as he and Gibbs put on 61 for the first wicket inside eight overs, Gilchrist reaching fifty in 37 balls.

The South African fell having made 19, edging Munaf Patel to keeper Mahesh Rawat, and wickets then fell at regular intervals.

The Royals bowlers, led by the wily Shane Warne (2-20), strangled the middle order following the departure of Gilchrist for 61 - the Aussie edging Siddharth Trivedi to the wicketkeeper.

Only a late blast of 23 off 11 balls from Venugopal Rao gave the visitors' bowlers something to aim at, but an early breakthrough was not forthcoming.

South Africa's Graeme Smith and Yusuf Pathan made light of the Chargers' attack, the latter in particular scoring freely on the way to his third half-century in the tournament.

Pathan struck two maximums and nine fours in his 37-ball innings of 68, holing out to Herschelle Gibbs off the bowling off Pragyan Ojha with the match already in the bag.

Smith was the steadier of the pair but was out with seven runs still required, offering Ojha a catch off RP Singh for 40 to leave Mohammad Kaif and and Shane Watson to take his side to victory.