Age Correspondent
Cape Town, April 18: Anil Kumble bowled Bangalore Royal Challengers to a crushing 75-run victory in their opening match of IPL-2 with unbelievable figures of 5/5 against defending champions Rajasthan Royals at Newlands on Saturday.
Chasing a teasing 134-run target, Rajasthan’s line-up first faltered against the skiddy medium pace of Praveen Kumar (2/7) and Jesse Ryder (2/14) before the now-retired Kumble began his demolition job, dismissing Yusuf Pathan, Ravinder Jadeja, Shane Warne, Munaf Patel and new boy Kamran Khan in 19 deliveries.
Under lights, Praveen and Ryder got the ball to nip around a great deal, ensuring that Rahul Dravid’s gallant 66 did not go in vain. Dimitri Mascarenhas (3/20) had done the same for the Royals as he ripped apart the Challengers’ top-order, but Dravid played a lone hand to lead his side to a respectable 133/8 in 20 overs.
Earlier, Kevin Pietersen’s decision to bat first looked to have backfired as they lost their top two batsmen in the first over itself to the medium pace of England all-rounder Mascarenhas. Dravid however masterminded the turnaround before he fell in the last over, finishing with a massive six.
Scores: Bangalore Royal Challengers 133/8 in 20 overs (Dravid 66, Pietersen 32; Mascarenhas 3/20) bt Rajasthan Royals 58 in 15.1 overs (Kumble 5/5, Praveen Kumar 2/7)