De Villiers, Dilshan sink Rajasthan

Tillakaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers helped Royal Challengers Bangalore overcome a major disruption to their plans and secure their fourth win of the season, bringing them level on points with the other top sides in the league. After Chris Gayle fell sick minutes before the match began and did not open, Royal Challengers stagnated, scoring only 67 for 3 by the 12th over, before de Villiers initiated the recovery during an aggressive partnership with Dilshan.

After Gayle's dismissal for 4 - lbw to Brag Hogg's quicker ball - de Villiers and Dilshan blitzed 122 in 8.2 overs, as the ball flew to and over the boundary through a combination of inventive and orthodox shots. De Villiers launched five sixes, hitting 59 off 23 balls, while Dilshan, who had scored only 38 off his first 39 balls, ended on 76 off 58 deliveries. They powered Royal Challengers to 189, a total that seemed a pipe dream earlier.

During Royals' chase, Rahul Dravid played an innings similar to what Dilshan had done for Royal Challengers. Dravid opened and scored steadily at one end, motoring to a half-century, while his partners struggled at the other. The asking-rate was rising rapidly, though, and left-arm spinner KP Appanna, who was brought in for this game, broke Royals' chase. He dismissed the top four Royals batsmen, beginning with the in-form Ajinkya Rahane and Owais Shah, to finish with 4 for 19. While Dravid did a Dilshan, no one did a de Villiers for Royals, and the upshot was a 46-run defeat.

The impact de Villiers had on the match was immediate. After taking a three off his first ball, he began the acceleration by hoisting offspinner Ajit Chandila for consecutive sixes over midwicket in the 13th over. They were the first sixes of Royal Challengers' innings. Though the next two overs had only a boundary each in them, de Villiers and Dilshan ran aggressively to increase the run flow. Dilshan then broke free in the 16th over, lofting Siddharth Trivedi over the long-off boundary and pulling him for four through square leg.

Hogg, who had troubled the earlier batsmen with his left-arm wrist spin, lost his line and length and was punished for consecutive boundaries by Dilshan. Even Kevon Cooper, who bowled economically in his first two overs, suffered towards the end, de Villiers carting him over the straight boundary before fishing out the reverse paddle through fine leg.

The penultimate over was the innings' most expensive - 21 runs came off it. After four quiet deliveries, one of which was a no-ball, de Villiers laid into Trivedi and hit the last three balls for two sixes and a four. Dilshan added the finishing touches by hitting the final two balls, from Cooper, to the fine leg and point boundary.

For Royals to challenge 189, they needed Rahane and Shah to fire. But only Dravid did. Rahane scratched around for 13 off 17 balls before swatting Appanna to long-on, where Luke Pomersbach, substituting for Gayle, took a well-judged catch running to his right. Appanna and Harshal Patel strung a few economical overs together between the sixth and tenth, which forced the asking-rate towards 13.

Shah eventually hit the innings' first six in the 11th over, whipping Patel over backward square leg, but was beaten by flight and turn from Appanna and stumped in the 12th. Dravid too lost his fluency after that, struggling to attack the left-arm spin, and his dismissal, holing out to extra cover, ended the Royals' challenge.

Deccan Chargers limited to 126

or the briefest of periods, Deccan Chargers looked like posting a total that might give them a fair chance of earning their first win of this IPL season. And then, even though wickets did not fall in a heap, their innings stuttered as the scoring rate began to splutter. The odd boundary would be followed by periods of low productivity, depriving Chargers of any momentum whatsoever. The upshot was a modest target, making Kolkata Knight Riders favourites to earn their fourth win of the tournament.

The start in Cuttack was delayed by a little more than an hour because of rain, but no overs were lost. Before the interruption, however, both captains had got what they wanted at the toss, with Kumar Sangakkara saying he would have batted after Gautam Gambhir chose to bowl. Sangakkara did not go on to have a good day, losing his middle stump to L Balaji after a scratchy 12 off 15 balls.

Shikhar Dhawan, on the other hand, was spunky at the start. In the third over, he heaved Yusuf Pathan, who had opened the bowling with his offspin, over wide long-on for six and chipped over mid-on for four. Little did Chargers know at the time that it would be the innings' only six, until Dale Steyn hit one in the 20th over. Dhawan also pulled Brett Lee and drove him powerfully for four, gathering five boundaries in his first 22 balls. Little did Dhawan know he would not hit another one in his next 28 deliveries.

Chargers had made 30 for 0 after four overs when the slowdown began, with Sunil Narine and L Balaji operating with discipline for Knight Riders. Soon after Chargers would hit a boundary, Knight Riders would regain ground by string together several economical deliveries. As a result, the batsmen were unable to put the bowlers under consistent pressure - there were no consecutive boundaries through the entire innings.

After Sangakkara fell, Dhawan and Parthiv Patel batted for 5.4 overs without dominating the bowling. Parthiv was eventually run out in the 12th over, but even Cameron White, who replaced Daniel Christian for this game, could not improve Chargers' situation. He fell slogging Lee to deep square leg as Chargers got stuck deeper in the mire. Lee's last two overs, the 15th and 17th, yielded only four runs.

Dhawan had anchored the innings but he too was going nowhere, and his struggle ended when he mis-hit a full toss from Rajat Bhatia to deep midwicket. He was gone for a run-a-ball 50. He would say later that the pitch was hard to bat on.

Despite the slow run-rate Chargers had lost only two wickets in 14 overs, which meant JP Duminy came in only in the 15th, when White fell. He too could not find fluency, and neither could any of the other lower-order batsmen. Balaji and Narine picked up two wickets apiece during economical spells as Chargers were limited to 126 for 7.

Ryder and Ganguly script Pune victory

Pune Warriors 192 for 3 (Ryder 86, Ganguly 41) beat Delhi Daredevils 172 for 7 (Sehwag 57, Thomas 3-22, Ganguly 2-27) by 20 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Pune Warriors recovered from two successive defeats to beat the form team this IPL thus far, thanks to an impressive all-round effort. Sourav Ganguly, their captain, played a significant role with bat and ball, together with some exciting shot-making from Jesse Ryder and Steven Smith, who helped post a total that proved beyond the might of Delhi Daredevils' power-packed batting line-up. At the Ferozshah Kotla, the hosts were well on track when Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen were going strong in a threatening partnership but the chase ran out of steam when a couple of bowling changes proved decisive by accounting for both.

Daredevils were up against the Warriors' highest total of the season and needed a blistering start, but were hit with the early loss of Mahela Jayawardene. That brought two of their most destructive batsmen together, and the tempo of the innings from there on was a contrast to a sedate first four overs bowled by Alfonso Thomas and Ashish Nehra. Murali Kartik came on in the fifth, and Sehwag charged out to launch him for a straight six followed by a cut through point. Pietersen looked in command, targeting Angelo Mathews in the next over, slapping him disdainfully for a straight six then carving him over extra cover and long-on to make it three in four balls.

Sehwag then took over, gradually building the pressure on his Warriors counterpart by making a mockery of each of his bowling changes. Ryder was carted for consecutive sixes over extra cover and Rahul Sharma was blasted into the second tier. The pair had added 81 in five overs, the bowling changes had failed and the Warriors captain tried another option, bringing himself on.

Pietersen had made up his mind and swung hard but Ganguly's first ball kept low, beat the bat and hit the stumps, prompting wild celebrations. An animated Ganguly sprinted across the field, his hair clinging for dear life onto his head, as the importance of that wicket began to sink in. In his next over, he was struck over midwicket for six by Irfan Pathan but had his man when an attempt at a similar shot produced a catch in the deep. Daredevils were still in the game with Sehwag batting, but Ganguly's decision to bring back Kartik paid off. Kartik tossed it up, bowled it slow, Sehwag struck one straight back at him and the bowler kept his cool to pluck a decisive catch.

Ross Taylor struggled to get going in the company of a relatively inexperienced lower middle order, and his run-out, in a Ganguly over, virtually shut Daredevils out of the game. Nehra and Thomas returned to complete what was, in the end, a comfortable win.

The highlights of the Warriors innings were a 93-run stand between Ryder and Ganguly, who laid the platform with some exciting shot-making, and late onslaught from Smith. Ryder and Ganguly threw Sehwag's plans off track by going after the most successful bowler this IPL season, Morne Morkel, and forced some debatable bowling changes that helped the batsmen settle in further. Eager to open up after a quiet start, Ryder targeted Morkel and was lucky, his first two boundaries - a six over third man and then a four past fine leg - coming off edges.

The approach unsettled Morkel , who Ryder struck - convincingly this time - for two more fours, before he was taken off the attack, having conceded 31 in two overs. Sehwag had the option of using Yadav then, or left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, who replaced Ajit Agarkar for this match. Instead, he had a bowl himself and was swept for fours by Ryder and Ganguly, before Pietersen was smashed over extra cover and long-off for a four and a six respectively. Twenty-six came off overs eight and nine and the pair was well prepared by the time the regulars returned.

Both faltered in their running, failing to convert several singles into twos, but the boundaries compensated for that lethargy. Ganguly scooped Nadeem over short fine before hammering him down the ground, and Ryder stepped up when he was joined by Smith once Ganguly went. He cracked Irfan over extra cover and swung Yadav over square leg and midwicket for sixes.

As the seamers struggled with their lengths, either bowling too short or on a length, the otherwise miserly Nadeem too came in for some punishment. Smith launched him for sixes over his head and midwicket, and dispatched him for two fours, one off a reverse-sweep, to pick 23 in the 18th over. Sixty-seven came off the last five, giving Warriors an excellent shot at getting their campaign back on track. They did so, with their captain leading the way.

Innings Break

Innings Break

Rajasthan 146/4 (20.0 Ovs) Brad Hodge* 3 (5)	Chennai Doug Bollinger* 4-0-31-1 Nuwan Kulasekara 4-0-17-1
CRR 7.30   Last Wkt Owais Shah 52(43)

Last 4 overs
Runs	30
Wickets	2
Fours	1
Sixes	2

Cricket Guru »

Malinga injury blow for Mumbai Indians

Back spasms have forced Lasith Malinga, the Mumbai Indians fast bowler, to return to Sri Lanka for treatment, and he could miss up to two weeks of the IPL as a result. Malinga last played for Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals on April 11 and missed the match against Delhi Daredevils on April 16.

"He is undergoing treatment [in Sri Lanka]," Nishantha Ranatunga, the secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket, told ESPNcricinfo. However, Ranatunga was not certain how long Malinga would be out and said the fast bowler would have to be evaluated by the Sri Lanka team's physio before any return date could be determined.

Malinga has reportedly not been training since the game against Royals and flew back to Sri Lanka on the morning of April 16. The team spokesperson said that Malinga "required rest and it made sense to send him back home", but they were hopeful he would return in a few days.

The loss of Malinga weakens the attack of Mumbai Indians, who have made an inconsistent start to the tournament and currently sit in sixth place in the points table, having won three of their five games. Malinga is the leading wicket-taker in the IPL and has been in good form again this season, taking nine wickets from four games at an economy-rate of 4.54.

Injuries have been a problem for Malinga in recent years. A knee injury he picked up during Sri Lanka's Australia tour in 2007 threatened to cut short his career and in April, 2011, he retired from Tests in order to spare his knee further damage.

Steady Chennai take on confident Rajasthan

Big picture
While the IPL is only into its fifth season, the teams have already developed different reputations for what can be expected from them on the field. Chennai Super Kings are known for their ability to withstand pressure, fight back and win from weak positions. Rajasthan Royals are known for making the most of their comparatively thin resources and competing with the more power-packed sides. Both sides have displayed these traits this season as well. Having started shakily, Super Kings have managed to position themselves in the middle of the points table despite clearly being nowhere near their best as yet. Bolstered by new arrivals like Owais Shah and Brad Hodge, Royals have been one of the sides to beat so far.

Super Kings' decision to leave out M Vijay and promote S Badrinath to partner Faf du Plessis at the top of the order provided them a solid base in their previous game against Pune Warriors. Their medium-pacers and spinners then choked the Warriors batsmen. Super Kings will start slightly in front at home but Royals will be confident having chased 197 in their previous game against Deccan Chargers.

Players to watch
R Ashwin owes his early fame to the IPL, with strong shows in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. His lack of penetration at the international level recently has carried over into the IPL, with only two wickets this season from six games. His economy-rate, though, hasn't suffered but he needs to strike more as his side's lead spinner.

With an unbeaten century and a 98, Ajinkya Rahane has impressed with his uninhibited yet orthodox hitting. Both knocks have come on surfaces in Jaipur and Bangalore where the ball has come on; it usually does not in Chennai, and it will be interesting to see how Rahane adapts.

2011 head-to-head
Royals lost both their games to Super Kings in 2011. Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina easily chased 148 in Chennai while Super Kings' batting power was too much for Royals in Jaipur.

Stats and trivia
Before the start of this IPL, Rahane had 583 runs at a strike-rate of 110 from 42 Twenty20s. He has made 304 at 146.15 from six games so far.
Since losing the 2008 IPL final to Royals, Super Kings have won five of the next six games against them .
Quotes
"Rajasthan Royals have always been considered the underdogs. At the start of the tournament, we're never considered a strong team by the oppositions, and it is the same case this time... [But] I believe this is our strongest team in all five seasons."
Royals medium-pacer Siddharth Trived

Scorecard(KXIP vs RCB)

Indian Premier League - 25th match

Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 5 wickets (with 3 balls remaining)

Kings XI Punjab innings (20 overs maximum)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	N Saini†	b Khan	14	12	1	0	116.66
	PC Valthaty	c de Villiers b Khan	6	12	1	0	50.00
	SE Marsh	b McDonald	26	17	3	1	152.94
	DJ Hussey*	b Patel	41	34	4	0	120.58
	DA Miller	c Khan b McDonald	8	13	0	0	61.53
	Mandeep Singh	c Kohli b Vinay Kumar	20	15	0	0	133.33
	Azhar Mahmood	not out	33	14	3	2	235.71
	PP Chawla	not out	7	3	1	0	233.33
	Extras	(b 1, lb 4, w 3)	8
	Total	(6 wickets; 20 overs)	163	(8.15 runs per over)

Did not bat P Awana, P Kumar, Harmeet Singh

Fall of wickets 1-14 (Saini, 2.4 ov), 2-27 (Valthaty, 4.6 ov), 3-57 (Marsh, 8.1 ov), 4-94 (Miller, 13.6 ov),5-105 (Hussey, 14.6 ov), 6-149 (Mandeep Singh, 19.1 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Z Khan	4	0	25	2	6.25
	R Vinay Kumar	4	0	40	1	10.00
	HV Patel	4	0	44	1	11.00	(1w)
	AB McDonald	4	0	25	2	6.25	(1w)
	DL Vettori	4	0	24	0	6.00	(1w)

	Royal Challengers Bangalore innings (target: 164 runs from 20 overs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	MA Agarwal	lbw b Awana	1	3	0	0	33.33
	CH Gayle	c Hussey b Awana	87	56	8	4	155.35
	V Kohli	c Marsh b Awana	4	4	1	0	100.00
	SS Tiwary	c †Saini b Awana	4	7	0	0	57.14
	AB de Villiers	lbw b Chawla	52	39	6	0	133.33
	AB McDonald	not out	8	6	1	0	133.33
	DL Vettori*	not out	2	3	0	0	66.66
	Extras	(w 7, nb 1)	8
	Total	(5 wickets; 19.3 overs)	166	(8.51 runs per over)

Did not bat KB Arun Karthik†, R Vinay Kumar, HV Patel, Z Khan

Fall of wickets 1-4 (Agarwal, 1.2 ov), 2-8 (Kohli, 1.6 ov), 3-25 (Tiwary, 5.1 ov), 4-156 (Gayle, 17.4 ov),5-158 (de Villiers, 18.3 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	P Kumar	4	0	35	0	8.75	(4w)
	P Awana	4	0	34	4	8.50	(1nb, 1w)
	PP Chawla	4	0	21	1	5.25
	Harmeet Singh	4	0	46	0	11.50	(1w)
	Azhar Mahmood	3.3	0	30	0	8.57	(1w)

Match details

Toss Royal Challengers Bangalore, who chose to field Points Royal Challengers Bangalore 2, Kings XI Punjab 0

Player of the match CH Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Umpires S Ravi and RJ Tucker (Australia) TV umpire JD Cloete (South Africa) Match referee RS Mahanama (Sri Lanka) Reserve umpire B Vij

Match notes

Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 - 6.0 (Mandatory - 41 runs, 2 wickets) Kings XI Punjab: 50 runs in 6.6 overs (42 balls), Extras 0 Kings XI Punjab: 100 runs in 14.3 overs (87 balls), Extras 7 Kings XI Punjab: 150 runs in 19.2 overs (116 balls), Extras 8 Innings Break: Kings XI Punjab - 163/6 in 20.0 overs (Azhar Mahmood 33, PP Chawla 7) Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 - 6.0 (Mandatory - 36 runs, 3 wickets) Royal Challengers Bangalore: 50 runs in 8.1 overs (49 balls), Extras 2 4th Wicket: 50 runs in 34 balls (CH Gayle 26, AB de Villiers 24, Ex 0) CH Gayle: 50 off 41 balls (5 x 4, 1 x 6) Royal Challengers Bangalore: 100 runs in 13.2 overs (80 balls), Extras 3 4th Wicket: 100 runs in 62 balls (CH Gayle 56, AB de Villiers 45, Ex 2) AB de Villiers: 50 off 36 balls (6 x 4) Royal Challengers Bangalore: 150 runs in 17.2 overs (105 balls), Extras 8

• Twenty20 match | 2012 season
• Played at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
• 20 April 2012 - day/night (20-over match)