Related Links : DLF Indian Premier League (3) 2009/10 | IPL Archives : Indian Premier League – 2 | Indian Premier League – 1 | Scorecard of Rajasthan Royals Vs Kolkata Knight Riders
A dull batting show from Kolkata Knight Riders allowed the Rajasthan Royals to taste their first victory of this season’s IPL at Ahmedabad. KKR chasing a moderate target of 169 batted without any strategy and urgency to fall short by 34 runs despite having enough wickets in hand.
Rajasthan Royals were once again helped by Bengal’s Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (45 from 36 balls with 5 fours) to get to a decent total of 168 for 7. Australian Adam Voges playing his first match remained unbeaten on 37 from 22 balls.
Ashok Dinda bowled impressively well for KKR by swinging the ball both ways at sharp pace. The wiry fast bowler got a wicket off the first ball of the match. There was also a sparkling knock of 31 from 26 balls coming in from the 24-year-old Railways cricketer – Faiz Fazal which caught the attention of the TV Commentators. The left handed Fazal opened the innings in the absence of the injured Graeme Smith.
The Knight Riders never showed any urgency in the first few overs of their chase which led to their downfall. Opener Brad Hodge consumed 34 balls to score only 36 while Cheteshwar Pujara played out 25 balls for his 29. That left the pair of Sourav Ganguly (33 from 29 balls) and Owais Shah (19* from 17 balls) with a difficult task which they failed to achieve. KKR finished with 134 for 5 in their 20 overs.
There was nothing extra ordinary from the Rajasthan Royals bowling but their fielding was excellent. The Man of the Match was given to the young Jhunjhunwala who also did well in the fielding department.