RR qualifies - to meet MI for a chance to Finals

The eliminator was exciting in totally different way… it had none of the ingredients of that high profile CSK – MI match and perhaps failed in every expectation that one would have in an important T20 match still…..

first Sunrisers scratched around with Dhawan making a painful 33 off 39; setting up a lowly target of 133 – RR went down 5 for 57 and one thought were out of the match, when a most unlikely 38 year old + saved them the blues………..

It was Bradley John Hodge who debuted for Australia against WI in Nov 2005, played 6 tests and 25 One dayers, the last of them in May 2008.  He is considered sort of unlucky not to have played more despite having a high average. Only recently, SRH launched themselves into the next round with those 2 successive sixes from Darren Sammy; today he was at the receiving end.   Hodge  came in at 57 for 5 in a chase of 133 on a slow, uneven pitch, on which almost everyone had struggled for timing.  He hit 5 sixes to finish the match on a winning note. 

SRH struggled with their batting; Parthiv Patel got out to an ugly stroke; Vihari followed ~ a little partnership between Dhawan and White – but Dhawan was not scoring freely.  Sammy played a cameo – runs were not flowing and in an important match 133 is not going to get you there.

Rajasthan Royals strength is their batting which made nearly a hash of that chase and almost contrived to lose before the stocky Hodge made those runs.  The target was not daunting - Royals' inexperienced middle order seemed to blow it, but Hodge lurked at No.7 to deliver the knockout punch.

So now RR will play MI tomorrow at Kolkata and the winner would play CSK in the finals on Sunday, the 26th of May 2013

With regards – S. Sampathkumar