Champions League 2013
Rajasthan Royals' road to the final
Rajasthan Royals were making their first appearance in the Champions League T20, and it was also their captain Rahul Dravid's last tournament. In their opening group game against IPL champions Mumbai Indians, medium-pacer Vikramjeet Malik took 3 for 24 to help Royals restrict Mumbai to 142•BCCI
Royals continued their dominance in Jaipur in their second match, against Lions. Dravid, Shane Watson and Stuart Binny laid the platform of the innings after they were asked to bat and Brad Hodge's late fireworks ensured Royals put on commanding 183•BCCI
After Dravid fell for a three-ball duck, Rahane and Samson took control of the innings, with Rahane finishing unbeaten on 62 to extend the Royals unbeaten streak at home to 11. With this victory, Royals sauntered into the semi-finals•BCCI
In the semi-final, Royals had their work cut out against a dangerous Chennai Super Kings. Rahane led the way with a sterling 70 off 56 as Royals put on a challenging 159•BCCI
Dravid fell for 1 against Mumbai, but the young guard of Sanju Samson and Ajinkya Rahane ensured a successful chase. Samson discovered his IPL form, making 54 off 47 balls, and Royals opened their campaign with a seven-wicket victory.•BCCI
After some initial setbacks, Lions were looking good at 89 for 3 in the 12th over, but Pravin Tambe, the 41-year-old legspinner, bowled a mesmeric spell of 4 for 15 to effectively end the contest, as Royals beat Lions by 30 runs to continue their home winning streak•BCCI
In the last group game, Royals faced Otago Volts, who were on a 14-match winning streak. Otago's batsmen had produced some hefty scores in the previous matches, but it was the relatively unknown Rahul Shukla who did the most damage, as he removed Hamish Rutherford, Brendon McCullum and Derek de Boorder in his opening over to push Otago on the back foot. However, Otago's lower order, led by James Neesham, helped the team reach a competitive 139•BCCI
Dravid rotated his bowlers cleverly against Super Kings' strong batting line-up. It was the introduction of Tambe that turned the match in Royals' favour. Tambe finished with 3 for 10 as Royals held on for a 14-run victory that put them in the final•BCCI
Next up were Perth Scorchers, but they wilted under the pressure from the Royals bowling, with Kevon Cooper taking 4 for 18 to restrict Scorchers to 120•BCCI
With Royals coasting at 71 for 2 in the 12th over, another win looked certain, but Neesham's three wickets in the middle overs caused a flutter in the chase. With 68 required off 47 balls, Hodge entered and produced a 23-ball 52 to complete yet another win for the team. The top-of-the-table finish ensured Royals would play their semi-final in Jaipur•BCCI
Brad Hodge signals victoryRoyals' semi-final victory, however, came at a price. Hodge injured his knee during a collision in the field with Shane Watson, and was likely to miss the final•BCCI