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Unheralded off-spinner Ajit Chandila recorded the first hat-trick of the Indian Premier League season and Shane Watson smashed a half century as Rajasthan Royals defeated Pune Warriors by 45 runs on Sunday.
Elsewhere, fellow Australian David Hussey guided Kings XI Punjab to a four-wicket win over Deccan Chargers in a high-scoring match.
Half centuries by Ajinkya Rahane (61) and Watson (58) propelled the Royals to 4-170 before Chandila’s hat-trick polished off the Warriors’ top order in the space of his first seven deliveries, limiting the opposition to 9-125.
Bowling with the new ball, Chandila took the wickets of Jesse Ryder (1), captain Sourav Ganguly (1) and Robin Uthappa (0) to finish with figures of 4-13.
“I was waiting for a chance for a long time,” Chandila said. “The pressure was on me … this is just the start, there is still a way to go to complete my dream.”
Chandila, playing in only his second game, took pace off the ball from the outset to frustrate the Warriors batsmen.
Ryder tried to hammer the off-spinner only to see Watson taking a skier at mid-on and Ganguly was smartly stumped by Shreevats Goswami off the next delivery. Uthappa was beaten in the flight and was also stumped to give Chandila the hat-trick.
The off-spinner then knocked the Warriors further off track when he accounted for Anustup Majumdar to reduce Ganguly’s men to 4-26.
Earlier, Watson smashed six fours and four towering sixes before he was bowled by Ashish Nehra in the 15th over. Rahane anchored the innings well with seven crisp boundaries and ensured Royals had a healthy total to defend.
The victory kept the Royals in the hunt for a playoff place with 14 points from seven victories and as many losses. It was the eighth straight loss for the Warriors who are second from the bottom on eight points with just four wins from 15 games.
At Mohali, Hussey struck an unbeaten 65 off 34 balls, hitting four boundaries and five sixes while Gurkeerat Singh smashed a vital 29 as Kings XI romped to 194-6 after Deccan Chargers had made 4-190.
Singh hit a six and two boundaries off seamer Manpreet Gony’s last over in an electrifying 45-run seventh wicket stand with Hussey off only 20 balls.
Shikhar Dhawan (71) and Cameroon (67 not out) put on 96 runs in 10 overs for the third wicket stand that gave Chargers a challengeable total to defend, but it proved not enough in the end.
The win brought Kings XI back in contention for place among top four with 14 points from seven wins and six losses. Chargers with a poor 2-11 record are lying at the bottom of the table with five points.
Delhi Daredevils lead the table with 18 points, followed by Kolkata Knight Riders (17) and Mumbai Indians (16).
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.