18th April, 2012, Jaipur and Bangalore: Rajasthan Royals batsman Brad Hodge and Chris Gayle of Royal Challengers Bangalore delivered some brilliant batting performances to seal victory for their team.
In Jaipur, batting first, Deccan Chargers made 196 runs in 20 overs with the loss of 2 wickets. J. P. Duminy with 58 not out and Shikhar Dhawan, who score 52, were the top scorers for Deccan.
For Royals Ajinkya Rahane made 44 runs and skipper Rahul Dravid scored 42 runs. Brad Hodge scored 48 runs in just 21 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes as they reach the target of 197 runs in 19.4 overs. Now, Rahane is the leading scorer of IPL with 304 runs along with a top score of 103 not out against Royal Challengers Bangalore. With 4 win from 6 games, Rajasthan is sitting at the top spot in the team’s standings.
In the other match of the, Sahara Pune Warriors made 182 runs with the loss of 6 wickets at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Uthappa with 69 runs was the top scorer for the visitors. Batting second, Royal Challengers reached sealed the victory in the last ball of the match. Gayle blasted 81 runs in just 48 balls with 4 fours and 8 sixes. Batting in the last few overs, AB de Villiers managed some superb predetermined shots and scored 33 runs. It was Bangalore’s 2nd win in 5 games and Pune stays on 3 wins out of 5 matches.
