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Royal Challengers Bangalore thump Rajasthan Royals
Royal Challengers Bangalore thrashed a lacklustre Rajasthan Royals by 10 wickets to notch up their second consecutive win in the third edition of the Indian Premier League match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
Bangalore, the losing finalists last year, had dropped their opening match against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.
The win against Rajasthan, achieved with 57 balls to spare, was also the second biggest margin ever (in terms of balls left) after Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata Knight Riders with 87 balls to spare in the inaugural edition.
Not much to cheer for Rajasthan fans
The Rajasthan Royals' supporters, including co-owners Shilpa Shetty and hubby Raj Kundra, had nothing much to cheer.
It was a bad day in the office for the champions in the inaugural edition with nothing going their way.
Having lost the toss, they put up a dismal show with the bat and then witnessed their bowlers being mauled by the Bangalore openers.
Yusuf showed glimpses of his brilliance but...
Yusuf Pathan was the best batsman for the Rajasthan Royals yet again.
Yusuf, who scored a 37-ball 100 in their opening match against Mumbai Indians on Saturday, was twice fortunate.
He eventually scored a 24-ball 26, inclusive of two hits over the fence and a four, before getting dismissed at a crucial stage.
Damien Martyn's 34-ball 19 was the only other contribution of note in the Rajasthan innings.
Praveen Kumar registered the tournament's first hat-trick
Praveen Kumar, meanwhile, registered the first hat-trick of the third edition.
The medium-pacer's three for 18, the wickets coming in his third over, was the seventh recorded hat-trick in the tournament's brief history.
Delhi Daredevils' Amit Mishra, Chennai Super Kings duo of Laxmipathy Balaji and Makhaya Ntini, Kings XI Punjab's Yuvraj Singh (twice) and Deccan Chargers' Rohit Sharma are the other bowlers to have achieved the feat.
The captain led from the front
Anil Kumble also finished with impressive figures of three for nine.
The Bangalore Royal Challengers' captain lead from the front as his team vindicated his decision to bowl first after winning the toss.
Kumble used the wrong 'un to good effect and picked up the wickets of Michael Lumb (10), Morne Morkel (2) and his opposite number Shane Warne (4).
Kallis in wonderland
Jacques Kallis ensured there were no wobbles when the home team chased.
The South Africa, the holder of the Orange Cap as the tournament's highest scorer - with 200 runs from three matches, made an unbeaten 44 off just 34 balls, an innings inclusive of seven boundaries.
The veteran also took a couple of wickets and was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his efforts.