Shane Watson smashed a blistering unbeaten 76 to steer Rajasthan Royals to a six-wicket victory over a star-studded Kings XI Punjab in their Indian Premier League match at Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur on Monday.Coming in at the fall of Yusuf Pathan when his team was tottering at 19 for 2 in the third over in chase of 167 for a win, Watson plundered five sixes in his 49-ball whirlwind innings to help his side bounce back after their comprehensive nine-wicket defeat at the hands of Delhi Daredevils in their first match.
The Australian all-rounder fittingly hit the winning runs, a four off S Sreesanth, to raise 168 for four for his team with 11 balls to spare.
He changed the complexion of the game after his side began on a disastrous note with opener Mohammad Kaif dismissed by Sreesanth's first ball and second over of the innings and next man in Yusuf Pathan falling cheaply for just seven to Brett Lee.
Watson was menacing throughout the innings and hit two sixes off James Hopes and one each off Piyush Chawla, Sreesanth and Wilkin Mota, besides five fours from his blade.
Young Ravindra Jadeja contributed a valuable 25-ball 36 with the help of five boundaries and a six.
Watson shared two crucial partnerships, first a 39-ball 51 with fellow Australian Darren Lehmann (17) for the fourth wicket and the 36-ball 69 stand with Jadeja.
Pakistani wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, who took field within hours of landing in India, played a cameo of 15 from 10 balls which included a huge six off Lee, before perishing to Hopes.
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne produced a superb 3 for 19 to restrict Kings XI Punjab to 166 for eight.
The Australian spin legend's act of leading from the front overshadowed a chancy half century by his opposite number Yuvraj Singh (57) in the battle between the first match losers at the Sawai Mansingh stadium.
The visitors would have been in a worse position had Yuvraj not been dropped twice when he was on 15 and 27, the first time off Warne and the second off Siddharth Trivedi.
Warne, however, removed Yuvraj, who was caught and bowled while trying to sweep the retired spin legend. Yuvraj struck six boundaries and three huge sixes in his 34-ball innings.
Warne also cut short Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara's explosive but short innings of 20 made from eight balls and studded with six fours, besides removing opener James Hopes (16).
The other opener had promised a lot at the top of order with two huge sixes off Munaf Patel who, however, had the last laugh clean bowling the young Punjab batsman for 26 (3x4, 2x6).
India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla made a late flourish with an unbeaten 11-ball 24 to take to a competitive score.
For the Royals, Trivedi returned figures of 2-25 while Munaf took one wicket for 36 runs.
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