Mumbai handcuff Bangalore

Rajasthan Royals fast bowler James Faulkner delivers a ball during their IPL match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur yesterday. Faulkner took 5 for 20. Photo: Internet

In five overs of high-quality fast bowling, easily the best cricket seen in this IPL, Mitchell Johnson and Lasith Malinga pushed Chris Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan into a corner with accurate, fast and hostile short-pitched bowling. They had been severely restricted, and Dhawan Kulkarni and Harbhajan Singh then came on to pin them and consign Royal Challengers Bangalore, the table leaders, to a 58-run defeat at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday.
Gayle had scored a record 175 in the previous match but could make only 18 yesterday. The match as a contest was all but over when the visitors lost half of their wickets for 67 runs in reply to a huge Mumbai total of 194 built around by a fine Dwayne Smith 36-ball 50 and a 16-ball 36 from Kieron Pollard.
Earlier, Australian all-rounder Shane Watson missed out on his second hundred by two runs but his blazing unbeaten half-century powered Rajasthan Royals to a thumping eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL match.
Chasing a modest 145-run target, the hosts romped home with 2.1 overs to spare as Watson scored a 53-ball 98, laced with 13 fours and four sixes.
Hyderabad had overcome a disastrous start to post 144 for nine after Darren Sammy played a heroic 60-run knock and shared a crucial 58-run stand with Amit Mishra (21) for the seventh-wicket.
Rajasthan left-arm paceman James Faulkner (5 for 20) stood out with a five-for after Hyderabad elected to bat.
It was a Watson show after that. Rajasthan needed 64 runs after Dravid's dismissal and Watson scored 56 of them.
The burly Australian hammered paceman Ishant Sharma for three fours and then closed the 15th over with a massive six over long-on, collecting 20 runs for his side.
The onslaught continued and the next victim of Watson's fury was Perera, who was hit for three boundaries, including a six. These two overs turned the tide in the favour of the hosts as Hyderabad seemed to have made a fight out of it.
Dale Steyn contributed a quick-fire eight-ball 18 towards the end after Sammy was the ninth and last Sunrisers batsman out in the 19th over.
SCORES IN BRIEF
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD: 144 for 9 in 20 overs (Sammy 60, Mishra 21; Faulkner 5-20)
RAJASTHAN ROYALS: 146 for 2 in 17.5 overs (Watson 98, Dravid 36; Steyn 1-15)
Result: Royals won by eight wickets.
Player-of-the-match: James Faulkner.
Mumbai Indians: 194 for 7 (Smith 50, Karthik 43)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 136 for 7 (Gayle 18, Tiwary 21, Vinay 26 not out; Kulkarni 3-19)
Result: Mumbai won by 58 runs
Player-of-the-match: Smith