Game played on: April 15

Venue: Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur

Pitch won by: KKR, who chose to bowl

First Innings (RR):

Power Play Overs (1-6):

Lee’s return to IPL action must have inspired Gambhir to opt for the field, by winning the toss. But if the Australian’s first over was anything to go by, Gambhir would have been grateful it was Dravid and not Watson opening the batting for RR. As it transpired, RR was 45/1 at the end of the Power Play. The man out was Paunikar, while Dravid was still there at 17, along with Menaria, still without Watson.

Halfway mark:

At the 10 overs mark, RR had moved to 67/1, with Dravid on 32 and Menaria on 19. The last two overs had produced 22 runs and there seemed to be a sense of urgency.

Fifteen on stage:

In a single over, the only one he bowled, Pathan bowled out both Menaria and Dravid, and some cynics believed he had won the game for RR by replacing the two batsmen with heavy hitters Watson and Taylor. At 102/3, RR needed an explosive punch to get to a total of over 170 that would be competitive on slow ground.

Slog Overs (16 – 20):

Despite three sixes in the first two slog overs, RR appeared to falter as they lost Watson, bowled by Shakib Hasan, the bowler who had attacked wildly during his record 185-chasing 230-hit win against Bangladesh, ago few days. Warne’s wards managed to get to 159/4, perhaps 15 runs or so short of comfort.

Verdict of the first entry:

Warne’s decision not to use Watson at the top of the order was perplexing considering the form the opener displayed in Bangladesh. In favor of RR, he had never lost a game in which he defended a goal higher than 145.

Second entry (KKR):

Power Play Overs (1-6):

Bisla’s run in the second over brought Gambhir to the crease. Virtually forced into his natural starting role, Gambhir picked up on him very quickly. Power Play overs brought in 62 runs, and with Kallis and Gambhir hitting the ball well, KKR looked imperious.

Halfway mark:

Down twice, although both were difficult chances, Gambhir had 49 of 27 balls, in a team score of 90/1. Kallis, content to play the passive partner, had 37 of 30 deliveries. The request rate dropped to 7 runs, and with nine wickets in hand it was hard to see how KKR could lose from here.

Fifteen on stage:

Forty more runs added with no further wicket loss meant that KKR was cruising to victory. There was a false alarm in the fifteenth, when Gambhir was caught in the Trivedi fence. Umpire Aleem Dar said there was no ball as there were only three men, as opposed to the requirement of four fielders, inside the circle.

Slog Overs (16-20):

It was all over, on the third ball of the penultimate over, when Kallis got the winning run, his 80th.

final verdict:

Rajasthan took a royal beating from the Knight Riders, with part of the blame falling on skipper Shane Warne’s reluctance to hand over the opening position to Watson. You’ll want your best batsman to face as many deliveries as possible, especially on Power Play overs.