That Rajasthan Royals would join IPL heavyweights Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians as this season's first play-off entrants with two matches still to play is an achievement not entirely expected at the start of IPL 6. Lacking superstar power - their No. 1 player is Australian allrounder Shane Watson - and led by a retired 40-year-old expert technician in Rahul Dravid, the Jaipur-based franchise have defied the odds to make it to the final four on the basis of grit, determination and some smart cricket.
Now that they have progressed to the play-offs, we take a look at how the young and old players in Rajasthan's set-up have combined and thrived to make for a winning unit.
A rundown on the key performers:
Rahul Dravid...
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08:04 AM, May 16, 2013
Mumbai: The Wankhede Stadium is all set to once again witness fireworks as two of the top-notch teams lock horns in what is expected to be a battle of the behemoths. Both Mumbai and Rajasthan have made it to the top four, and with nothing to lose, both teams would expect nothing less than a stiff test before their IPL 6 play-off campaign gets underway. There is nothing to choose...
07:48 PM, May 14, 2013
Mohali: Rajasthan Royals moved closer to sealing a place in the IPL 6 play-offs after emphatically brushing aside Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets at the PCA Stadium on Thursday. The visitors came to Mohali chasing two points to move nearer to 20 and did just that, keeping Punjab to 145 and then having Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson to thank for a breezy chase. Crucial to Rajasthan's win was...
07:23 PM, May 09, 2013
Jaipur: He might have been the star of Rajasthan Royals' win over Pune Warriors in a high-scoring IPL thriller but Ajinkya Rahane was modest about his role, opting to praise his team's bowlers for keeping it tight in the death overs. Chasing 179, Rajasthan romped home with five wickets and a ball to spare on Sunday. Rahane was the star for them bagging the man of the match honour for...
01:16 PM, May 06, 2013
New Delhi: If you have been following the progress of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 6 you may have noticed a similarity between Moneyball, the 2003 book by Michael Lewis that inspired the Academy Award-nominated film of the same name, and the way the Jaipur-based franchise have gone about their work. In a nutshell, Rajasthan have achieved much success - especially at their fortress of the Sawai Mansingh Stadium where they...
08:26 AM, Apr 30, 2013
Jaipur: After his eye-catching performance in the IPL on Monday, 18-year-old Sanju Samson said the fall of Rahul Dravid's wicket did not affect his batting, but made him "more determined" to play a part in helping Rajasthan Royals get over the line against Royal Challengers Bangalore. "I was not nervous when Dravid fell but was more determined to carry on with my plans. We had a strong batting line-up for...
10:01 PM, Apr 29, 2013
Jaipur: Better execution of plans and adapting to wickets are the two key elements Royal Challengers Bangalore need to focus on if they are to start winning matches away from home in the ongoing IPL, feels pacer Ravi Rampaul. "We need to execute our plans and will have to adapt to the wickets and play accordingly," Rampaul said on Monday after his side suffered another defeat away from its citadel,...
09:49 PM, Apr 29, 2013
Jaipur: Rajasthan Royals maintained their unbeaten record at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium with a gripping five-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore to make it five wins in a row in Jaipur. Set a target of 172, the home team was indebted to young Sanju Samson's 61 and 41 from Shane Watson who earlier in the day had snared three wickets as RCB's big guns were kept quiet on Monday. RCB...
07:39 PM, Apr 29, 2013
Jaipur: Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid is extremely pleased with the team effort in their six- wicket win over Kings XI Punjab, here. Chasing a modest 125 on a difficult wicket, Rajasthan won by six wickets. "It was Sreesanth who got us early wickets and Chandila too did a fairly good job opening the attack. Our rest of the bowling and the fielding was also good and we could restrict...
11:08 AM, Apr 15, 2013
The emerging wicketkeeper-batsman from Kerala has moved from KKR to Rajasthan Royals for the 2013 IPL season and hopes to impress if given chance. ...
04:50 PM, Apr 01, 2013
Kerala rode on Rohan Prem's unbeaten 82 to beat Goa by six wickets in the South Zone encounter of Vijay Hazare Trophy. ...
09:11 PM, Feb 20, 2013
Kerala are on seventh in the tally with three points and need to start winning in order to qualify for the knock-outs. ...
06:17 PM, Nov 30, 2012
