Rajasthan Royals 147 for 5 (Pathan 61*, Smith 44*, Mishra 3-34) beat Delhi Daredevils 143 for 7 (de Villiers 50, Vettori 29, Munaf 2-14, Mascarenhas 2-28) by five wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Yusuf Pathan was once again the hero for Rajasthan Royals © AFP
Shane Warne, at the start of the game, had tipped the struggling Graeme Smith to trigger a change in fortunes for Rajasthan Royals, and though he did meet his expectations, staying till the end, it was a monstrous blitz from Yusuf Pathan that blighted Delhi's unbeaten run in the tournament. Spin continued to play a major influence, as Amit Mishra rattled Rajasthan with a three-wicket burst to leave them reeling at 64 for 5. But the presence of a determined Smith exuded assurance, and the ability of Pathan inspired confidence, as the pair wasted little time, amid some fortunate moments, to leave Delhi shell-shocked after they had held the cards for much of the innings.
A target of 144 was a tricky one, but something Rajasthan would have backed themselves to reach after a laudable performance with the ball. However, they almost squandered the effort with a shoddy display by their top and middle order, who left their team staring at a fourth defeat before Yusuf Pathan, along with Smith, turned the tide.
Rajasthan were already pegged back by the time spin was introduced, as the chopping and changing of their opening combination continued to falter. Rob Quiney was pushed up the order, but didn't last long, trapped in front by Ashish Nehra in the fourth over. The inexperience among their young Indian recruits showed, as an impatient Swapnil Asnodkar was run out attempting an impossible run before Mishra sucked in Paul Valthaty - included to beef up Rajasthan's ailing batting line-up - who holed out at long-off.
