Royals pace too much for Giants

MUMBAI, India, May 16, (AP): Rajasthan Royals’ pace trio proved too much for Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday, giving their team a 24-run win, as the race intensified for a place in the Indian Premier League playoffs.

IPL newcomer Gujarat Titans earlier confirmed its spot in Qualifier 1 with a seven-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings.

Rajasthan chose to bat and made 178-6 despite losing Jos Buttler for only 2 in the third over of the batting powerplay.

Pacers Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna and Obed McCoy shared six wickets to restrict Lucknow to 154-8. Yuzvendra Chahal, the tournament’s top wickettaker, had Deepak Hooda stumped for 59 off 39 balls as the leg-spinner took his tally to 24 wickets in 13 games.

The win lifted Rajasthan to No. 2 behind leader Gujarat - with 16 points. Lucknow, which also has 16 points, slipped to No. 3 on a lesser run-rate than Rajasthan.

Lucknow skipper Lokesh Rahul used eight bowlers but still Rajasthan managed to put up a formidable total.

Opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored for his team with 41 after Buttler lost his off stump while going for a ramp shot against fast bowler Avesh Khan.

Devdutt Padikkal (39) and skipper Sanju Samson (32) made contributions in the middle overs before Boult (17 not out) and Ravichandran Ashwin (10 not out) added valuable runs in the last two overs.

Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2-31) picked up the wickets of Padikkal and Riyan Parag.

Wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha hit an unbeaten 67 as Gujarat reached 137-3 with five balls to spare against Chennai for its 10th win in a blockbuster debut IPL season.

Chennai, ninth in the table with eight points, had earlier struggled to reach 133-5 against some tidy Gujarat bowling led by Mohammed Shami, who finished with 2-19.

“We were not chasing a big target, so I took my chances in the powerplay and then there was no need to take chances as the required rate was under six,” Saha said.