Ajinkya Rahane starred with the bat while Pravin Tambe and Dhawal Kulkarni snared two wickets apiece to set up Rajasthan Royals' victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Ajinkya Rahane named Man of the Match and he's also now in possession of the Orange Cup.
23:29 IST: Rajashtan Royals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets off the last ball of the innings. Thanks to a brilliant last over by Praveen Kumar, the Royals had to endure some nervous moments.
23:16 IST: WICKET! Boult has removed Rahane for 62 but it's all over for the Sunrisers anyway. Royals need 10 off 8 balls with six wickets in hand.
23:08 IST: Warner and his bowlers have tried really hard but they were not playing with too many runs and Rahane carried on with his splendid form. This has been a clinical show by the Royals, who now need 15 to win from 15 balls.
Rahane's half-century set the Royals on course for a big win.
© BCCI
23:03 IST: Fifty for Rahane, his 14th in IPL. He's now the top run-scorer this season. Royals need 28 runs off 25 balls.
22:57 IST: WICKET! Bopara is turning it on with the ball. He has snared Karun Nair for 1 and the Royals camp must be in a spot of bother now. RR need 37 off 32 balls to win but they have Rahane in the middle, who has been joined by Stuart Binny.
22:49 IST: WICKET! Karn Sharma removes Steve Smith for 13. The Sunrisers are not giving up yet. Rajasthan Royals are 84/2 in the 14th over and need another 39 to win from 39 balls.�
22:42 IST: The Royals are decidedly running away with this match but David Warner is not the kind of captain to give away very soon - he has Trent Boult in the attack and he's hoping for some wickets here. But Rahane is settled and Smith is in the form of his life.
22:37 IST: WICKET! What a catch by Naman Ojha behind the stumps to send off Sanju Samson. Ravi Bopara the bowler to strike. Rajasthan Royals 64/1 in 10.2 overs chasing 128 vs the Sunrisers.
Bopara made the first breaktrhough for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
© BCCI
22:23 IST: Royals race away to 51/0 in 8 overs. This is becoming increasingly tough for Sunrisers to defend now.
22:14 IST: Rahane and Samson have been solid in chase of 128 vs Hyderabad. Royals are 36/0 in 6 overs and this is now their match to lose.
Royals cheerleaders had a lot to cheer about on Thursday.
© BCCI
21:59 IST: Excellent over from Trent Boult and he had the Royals openers in all sorts of trouble. In fact Rahane was lucky to survive a very close call for lbw. The ball pitched in line and looked like crashing on middle. But the umpire ruled not out. RR 11/0 off 2.
21:55 IST: It was a good first over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He was tight and bowled in the right areas. Rahane did play a cracking shot for a boundary but there was nothing lose dished up besides that ball. RR 6/0 in chase of 128 vs SRH
21:36 IST: Sunrisers Hyderabad restricted to 127/8 in their 20 overs. Tambe and Kulkarni took two wickets apiece.
21:27 IST: SIX! Bopara smoked that from Tambe into next week. That was HUGE! What a shot to play. The Sunrisers have to of course got to go after the bowling now. They desperate need whatever runs they can get from hereon.
21:21 IST: WICKET! Tambe traps Morgan for 27 as Hyderabad slip to further trouble against the Royals. SRH are 98/5 with Ashish Reddy in the middle with Ravi Bopara.
Tambe's strikes rocked the Sunrisers in Vizag on Thursday.
© BCCI
21:19 IST: Sunrisers have to go all guns blazing from here on; they are 95/4 in 16 overs.
21:11 IST: Just when Surisers Hyderabad were looking to comeback strongly, Tambe knocked off the well-settled Naman Ojha for 25. SRH 87/4 in 14.1 overs as Bopara walks in to join his England skipper Morgan.
21:05 IST: This has been good rearguard action by Ojha and Morgan. The two are beginning to grow in confidence and looking to push the SRH score in the last few overs. But the duo is running out of time quickly and some big shots are needed now.
Ojha and Morgan steadied SRH with a solid stand.
© BCCI
20:55 PM IST: This should spur the Sunrisers. Faulkner removed Naman Ojha but it was a no-ball. And Eoin Morgan swatted the free-hit for a SIX. SRH 62/3 in the 11th over.
20:50 IST: Sunrisers Hyderabad move to 55/3 in 10 overs vs Rajasthan Royals.
20:44 PM IST: Naman Ojha and Eoin Morgan attempt to rebuild for Sunrisers; 51/3 in 9 overs vs Royals. RR have some very good bowlers to operate for the next 11 overs.
20:36 PM IST: Hyderabad's three big performers from the last game have departed. In the middle are Naman Ojha and Eoin Morgan, who has not been in great form recently. This is a tough task for the pair against a disciplined Royals attack.
20:30 PM IST: WICKET! Dhawal Kulkarni is on fire - he's on a hat-trick after trapping KL Rahul lbw for two. This is a disastrous start for the Sunrisers, who are 35/2 in 5 over vs Royals.
Dhawan fell to Dhawal as SRH got off to a poor start.
© BCCI
20:24 IST: WICKET! Warner was looking in great touch but he was run out by miles thanks to a direct hit from Rahane. Hyderabad are 35/2 in 5 overs.
20:19 IST: WICKET! Royals have the big breakthrough as Dhawal removes Dhawan for 10. He got a reprieve in the first over but survived. SRH 25/1 in 4 overs after being asked to bat.
20:10 IST: David Warner takes Chris Morris on; hammers him for three boundaries in the second over as SRH move to 13/0 after two overs.
Smith said he was not sure if it was a clean catch. Replays showed the ball had bounced just short.
© BCCI
20:04 IST: Eventful first over from Tim Southee; he even got Shikhar Dhawan to edge to slip but the ball dropped just short of Steve Smith. The umpires checked for replays but they rule not out. SRH 1/0.
19:45 IST: Playing XI:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: DA Warner (Captain), S Dhawan, KL Rahul, EJG Morgan, NV Ojha (WK), RS Bopara, A Ashish Reddy, KV Sharma, P Kumar, B Kumar, TA Boult
Rajasthan Royals: AM Rahane, SV Samson (WK), SPD Smith (Captain), KK Nair, STR Binny, DJ Hooda, JP Faulkner, CH Morris, TG Southee, DS Kulkarni, PV Tambe
Steve Smith won the toss and elected to bowl vs Hyderabad.
© BCCI
19:33 IST: Rajasthan Royals won the toss and will bowl first. Still no Shane Watson for the Royals, who will be continued to led by Steve Smith. Hyderabad have included Eoin Morgan in place of Kane Williamson. SRH continue to ignore Dale Steyn.
Rajasthan Royals have been the best team on show so far in the 2015 Indian Premier League. Led by Steve Smith, the Royals have won all their three matches. A great blend of international experience and young Indian talent has been key for the team. The likes of Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, James Faulkner , Tim Southee and Stuart Binny give the Royals great balance. Regular skipper Shane Watson, nursing a bruised hip, has not even played yet. On the other hand, Karun Nair, Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson have done enough already to merit regular mentions from former players, who have been impressed with the trio's resilience. The stand-out performer with the ball has of course been Pravin Tambe, the wily spinner.
Rajasthan Royals are all geared up ahead of their clash vs Sunrisers Hyderabad.
© PTI
Rajasthan have been a complete unit with Rahul Dravid playing a significant role. They have been disciplined and determined and seem to have moved on from the spot-fixing controversy that saw three of their players arrested two years ago. All three departments have clicked nicely and it's no surprise that the team finds itself at the top of the table in the second week of the glitzy T20 tournament.
Sunrisers Hyderabad on the other hand, have looked strong under David Warner. They lost their first match against Chennai Super Kings but came back strongly to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore. Like his Australian teammate Smith, Warner has been in good form and commands respect from his teammates. Hyderabad will be keen for Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Kane Williamson to turn up with some good performances.
Hyderabad also boast of a strong bowling attack; so strong that Dale Steyn has had to sit out with Warner preferring Trent Boult over him. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma complete a good pace battery that can on their day, challenge the best batting line-ups.
Trent Boult has been preferred ahead of Dale Steyn
Preview:
Looking to keep their winning run intact, IPL table-toppers Rajasthan Royals (RR) face a stern Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) test in their fourth match of the Twenty20 cricket league, here on Thursday. If RR have have been unbeaten in their three games so far, then the David Warner-led SRH have had a mixed run with a loss and a win in their two matches.
Steve Smith Says he is Never Tired of Batting
The ever-consistent Steve Smith says he does not tired of batting as he continued his rich vein of form by scoring an unbeaten 79 in Rajasthan Royals' easy seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians. Smith also grabbed the Orange Cap for being the highest run-getter so far. He has scored 122 runs in three matches.
Steve Smith at Par With AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli: Shane Watson
Steve Smith's dream run in the Test series against India and subsequently in the World Cup, where he amassed 402 runs from seven matches, has prompted his Australian and Rajasthan Royals teammate Shane Watson to compare the 25-year-old batsman with South African skipper AB de Villiers and Indian sensation Virat Kohli.
