The Royal Challengers Bangalore are on a roll, six wins in a row in fact as they sealed a comprehensive victory over the Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur in Shane Warne’s last match at the home venue.
If Shane Warne was dreaming of a glorious farewell in his final match as the Rajasthan Royals captain at home, it remained an elusive dream. Instead the Royal Challengers Bangalore let out only a flicker of hope in the beginning of the Rajasthan Royals’ innings when Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson made a promising start of seventy-three runs within the first ten overs.

Thirty-four runs accrued to Watson before Sreenath Arvind struck for his first wicket of the innings. With the score stagnant on seventy-three two balls later in the tenth over, Arvind sent back Dravid for thirty-seven runs with a brilliant caught and bowled. Thereafter, the Rajasthan Royals struggled to string together partnerships, leaving themselves underscoring at 146, Arvind making a name for himself yet again with a strong contribution, this time with three wickets.

However, given Chris Gayle’s form, no total would be enough as the Rajasthan Royals were to soon find out. Tillekeratne Dilshan and Virat Kohli, who was the RCB captain for the day with Daniel Vettori injuring his knee, made relevant contributions of thirty-eight and thirty-nine runs. But one would not know because Gayle had hogged the limelight yet again, thundering away seventy runs off only forty-four balls with six fours and four sixes to make it clear to the Rajasthan Royals this was one battle they could not stage a comeback from. Within seventeen breezy overs, the challenge was completed.