Royals complete thumping win

Needing just 110 to win, Rahul Dravid (43) and Shane Watson (49) put on a superb 71 run stand to set the platform for a comfortable 8-wicket win. Earlier, Warne and Trivedi got 3 wickets each.

That is all from us here. Join us tomorrow for the game between Chennai and Pune from Chepauk. This is Sid V, saying good bye on behalf of Ajith and Srivathsa. Ciao!
Presentation Ceremony:
Shane Warne is the MoM: I thought our intensity level was excellent. We had some honest and close chats and we played well. The boys showed a lot of character. The guys are taking up the optional choices and putting in a lot of hard work. We bounced back in great style. Each game is different and we got most things right. Watson is a super player in any form of the game. He is a destructive player and his bowling adds depth. This is the halfway stage and we need to get some momentum towards the last bit which is important. We have 4-5 days off before the next game. The ball was coming nicely off the hand and it clicked today.
Mahela Jayawardene: We knew that it was going to be a tough task with the dew around. We were 20-30 runs short and we did not bat well. We did not pick up quick wickets, there were some dropped catches and in short, it was a bad day. After the start we had, a score of 120-130 looked good, but we did not execute our plans. It is a very close table this time. We need to focus.
Shane Watson: Was a bit scratchy to start with, got a few big hits towards the end. It was good to win the game to end the losing streak, it's normally a good wicket, two paced, but batsmen can't just hit through the line. It turned out to be more in favour of the bowlers today. My batting position depends on where Warney wants me to bat. It was a lovely bit of partnership with Rahul, we would like to continue that.
Once Watson and Dravid saw off the initial overs, it was an easy chase for the men in dark blue. The fielding of the Kochi side fell apart as Watson began to open out. Dravid was run-out for the umpteenth time, but the win was completed in quick time though Watson was unlucky not to get a well deserved fifty. Biggest win in terms of balls remaining for RR. Stay tuned for the presentation.

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