Lumb numbs the Kings

KARACHI: Rajasthan Royals thrashed Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets in the Indian Premier Leagey (IPL) as Michael Lumb smashed a whirlwind 83 off just 43 balls to single-handedly lead his side past the finish line.

Rajasthan overhauled a modest total of 153 in just 15 overs as Naman Ojha and Lumb added 109 for the first wicket off only 57 balls to demolish any hopes of a Punjab victory. Yusuf Pathan and Ojha then put on 48 in 33 balls to finish one of the most one-sided matches in the IPL.

Opting to bat, Punjab finished with a much-lower total than what they would have hoped for after being 108 for two in the 12th over. Their hero from the previous match and Rajasthan captain Shane Warne was hit for 42 off his three overs but Siddharth Trivedi and Shane Watson held back the scoring in the final overs. Trivedi ended with two for 22 in four while Watson gave just 19 in his four overs.

Kings XI still languish at the bottom of the IPL table with two wins in 10 games while Royals are third with six wins in 11 matches.

Chennai beat toppers Mumbai

Chennai Super Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by 24 runs to rise to fourth place in the IPL.

On the other hand, Mumbai suffered their second defeat as they could only muster 141 for nine in pursuit of a 165- run target set by Chennai. Mumbai captain and opener Sachin Tendulkar, who has been in excellent form in the IPL, looked set for another crucial innings before he retired hurt at 62 for one. He returned later in the innings to make 45 but the initial break in momemtum triggered a collapse as Mumbai crashed to 105 for eight in the 17th over. Harbhajan Singh, coming in at number nine tried to revive the chase with a quick 33 off 23 balls but the Chennai bowlers halted the Mumbai charge.

Earlier, Chennai set a modest target given that 467 runs were scored in two innings on the same track three days ago. Murali Vijay, fresh from a whirlwind century in his previous match, was dismissed for 14. The rest of the batsmen got starts but failed to make any sizable contribution. Matthew Hayden was the highest scorer with 35 runs.