With nine required in the final over, Kevon Cooper took two wickets and gave away just three runs to help Rajasthan prevail in the end.
In a dramatic finish, Rajasthan Royals prevailed over Delhi Daredevils by five runs in their Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi yesterday.
David Warner’s whirlwind 77 put Delhi on track for a win as the hosts looked to chase down the 166-run target.
However, the Australian’s run-out in the penultimate over allowed Rajasthan to sneak back into the game. With nine required in the final over, Kevon Cooper took two wickets and gave away just three runs to help Rajasthan prevail in the end.
Earlier, captain Rahul Dravid hit a 51-ball 65 and Stuart Binny contributed a quickfire 40 off just 20 deliveries as Rajasthan were able to register a competitive total.
Umesh Yadav took four for 24 for Delhi.
Dravid, named man of the match, was pleased with the win.
“We got a little bit lucky,” said Dravid. “We lost a nail-biter here last year but it’s nice to come here and pay them back.
“I have put in a lot of training but scoring runs sometimes is not in your control.”
Dravid’s opposite number Mahela Jayawardene credited the Rajasthan side. “Everything went well except for the last ten balls,” said the Sri Lankan. “On the field, they did much better than us. It is one of those games in T20, you get close ones.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2013.
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