Rest of India win Irani Cup outright

Rest of India 663 (Dhawan 177, Rahane 152) and 354 for 2 dec (Dhawan 155, Abhinav 154) beat Rajasthan 400 (Bist 93, Parida 85, Menaria 79, Ojha 5-86) and 213 (Khatri 53, Ojha 4-60) by 404 runs

	Shikhar Dhawan with his Player-of-the-Match awards© ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rest of India completed a 404-run win against Rajasthan on the fifth day of the Irani Cup in Jaipur. Rajasthan began the day with all their wickets intact but Rest of India, who had already won the trophy on the first-innings lead, got rid of the hosts' top order in the morning session to set up the outright win.

Rajasthan's openers had a nervy start. In the second over of the day, Aakash Chopra edged Vinay Kumar but the ball fell short of slip. Vineet Saxena edged Varun Aaron for four soon after. The close calls sent the pair into defensive mode and they played out five maidens. Just when Rajasthan seemed to have safely negotiated the early burst from Rest of India - Saxena guided Umesh Yadav past point, while Chopra drove Aaron through covers - Pragyan Ojha struck. He got Chopra to drive at a flighted delivery and took the edge.

Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the Rajasthan captain, did not last long, edging a bouncy Yadav delivery that was angled into him to wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel. Rest of India struck twice in quick succession again before lunch, with Vinay bowling Saxena and Ojha trapping Robin Bist lbw, to take control of the game.

For a while, Rashmi Parida and Ashok Menaria looked like they would hold off Rest of India like they did in the first-innings. But the resistance was cut short when Menaria lost his composure and went after a short, wide ball from Yadav, only to offer Parthiv another catch. Rest of India continued to knock off the wickets in pairs, as Rahul Sharma - who did not have the best day, spraying the ball around a bit - had Rohit Jalani lbw for a duck. Sharma picked up a couple of wickets after that, though, as Parida holed out and Deepak Chahar had his off stump uprooted.

Madhur Khatri produced the only innings of note for Rajasthan, a boundary-studded 53. Khatri cut and pulled, and managed a few drives down the ground and through the covers, before edging to Abhinav Mukund at third slip. Ojha wrapped up the match two overs later, as Sunil Mathur charged down the track, missed and was stumped. It was Ohja's fourth wicket, to go with his first-innings five-for. Rest of India opener Shikhar Dhawan, who struck two blistering centuries in the match, was named Player of the Match. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Dhawan, Rahane put Rest of India in charge

Rest of India 400 for 3 (Dhawan 177, Rahane 117*) v Rajasthan

	Ajinkya Rahane was one of two centurions for Rest of India on the first day © ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Two centuries - an aggressive, substantial one from Shikhar Dhawan and a solid, unbeaten one from Ajinkya Rahane - almost ensured that Rest of India couldn't lose the Irani Cup outright. They scored quickly on the opening day against Ranji Trophy champions Rajasthan, lost only three wickets, and amassed 400 by stumps in Jaipur.

Dhawan scored 177 off 165 balls, an innings that contained 32 fours and one six. Having been dropped from India's one-day squad after the tour of West Indies, Dhawan did not waste this opportunity to stake his claim again. He added 190 runs for the second wicket with Rahane, who adapted smoothly to the change in format. Having impressed during the limited-overs games in England, Rahane switched into five-day mode and batted with patience to end the day on 117 off 212 balls. He will have to revert to one-day mode against England after the Irani Cup tie is settled.

Rajasthan's bowlers struggled, with last season's hero Deepak Chahar going wicketless for 120 runs in 21 overs. His new-ball partner Aniket Choudhary also conceded more than four an over in 17 overs.

Dhawan began to attack as early as the day's fifth over, when he hit four consecutive boundaries off Chahar. The first two were driven through mid-off, the next two pulled and cut as the bowler dropped short. The other opener, Abhinav Mukund, wasn't as quick, his first fours coming in the 12th over when he drove and glided Choudhary down the ground and through gully. Dhawan reached his 50 off the first ball after drinks, off 51 balls.

Rajasthan's first bit of relief came in the 19th over, when Mukund edged medium-pacer Sumit Mathur on to his stumps. Rest of India were 77 for 1. Choudhary should have dismissed Dhawan, on 80, in the final over before lunch but Chahar misjudged the top-edge at long-leg. The Dhawan-Rahane stand took Rest of India to lunch on 122 for 1.

There was little joy for Rajasthan in the second session. Dhawan got to his century off 119 deliveries, sweeping offspinner Madhur Khatri for two, and celebrated with a six over midwicket next ball. He and Rahane added 145 runs to their partnership and only shortly before tea were they separated. Dhawan had clouted Chahar down the ground for three successive boundaries but in the next over, from Khatri, he missed a slog sweep and was bowled. Rest of India went into tea on 280 for 2.

Choudhary began the final session positively for Rajasthan, trapping Manish Pandey lbw for 16. The dismissal cut short a bright start, for Pandey had struck four boundaries during his brief stay. Rahane then led a period of consolidation for Rest of India, moving steadily towards his century, which he reached with a straight drive to the boundary off Chahar. He had a solid partner in Parthiv Patel, who was unbeaten on 55, and they added 113 runs for the fourth wicket before stumps. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Dhawan puts Punjab out of contention

Deccan Chargers 198 for 2 (Dhawan 95, Ravi Teja 60) beat Kings XI Punjab 116 (Gilchrist 51, Mishra 4-9) by 82 runs

	Shikhar Dhawan got his highest Twenty20 score © AFP

The happily-ever-after ending that Kings XI Punjab were expecting for their campaign slipped through their fingers, literally, in Dharamsala. Their rise from the dead has been the story of the IPL, but they crumbled in the field in a must-win game and were eliminated from the race for the play-offs.

Dropped catches galore, spiced up with misfields and missed run-outs, allowed Deccan Chargers' openers, Shikhar Dhawan and D Ravi Teja, to deliver just the kind of a partnership that would lift the spirits of a struggling team in its final game. While Amit Mishra did his bit with a hat-trick, it was their stand that put the task beyond Punjab's batsmen. The result meant Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders qualified for the play-offs.

The first over set the tone for the day. There was encouragement for Praveen Kumar from the track, with the ball moving both ways, but there wasn't much the bowlers could do when not backed up by their fielders. Ryan McLaren missed an attempt to run out Shikhar Dhawan first ball and Ravi Teja was dropped by Paul Valthaty in the deep moments later. Both chances were difficult, yet manageable, and proved decisive in the outcome.

The opening bowlers, Praveen and Ryan Harris, erred in line, particularly against Dhawan, who played through square leg and fine leg for boundaries. While Dhawan looked determined to bat through, it was Ravi Teja's responsibility to maintain the high tempo. Dhawan focussed on the gaps, timing and power enabling him to pierce them with ease, while Ravi Teja went over the top, accomplishing the task he was sent out for, albeit with much fortune.

Match Meter DC Lucky openers step up: Deccan are 58 without loss in the sixth over after Dhawan and Ravi Teja are given reprieves DC Ravi Teja rides his luck: He survives a run-out, is dropped, and smashes Chawla for two sixes. At the end of the 13th over, Deccan are 129 without loss DC A good finish: Dhawan is unable to get a century but takes Deccan to an intimidating 198 DC Early losses: Paul Valthaty and Shaun Marsh fall in quick time, and the pressure on Punjab grows DC The decisive blow: Gilchrist, after giving Punjab some hope, is caught at extra cover in the 11th over and it is all but over for his team this IPL Advantage Honours even

Streaky as he was, Ravi Teja sent Punjab's frustration levels soaring. He survived a run-out in the 11th over - umpire Asad Rauf didn't call for a replay - and edged the next two balls from McLaren to the third-man boundary. He was dropped by Harris in the next over, and then launched Piyush Chawla for two massive sixes in another over that yielded 20 runs. By the time he was finally caught, he had smashed 60 when he should have been dismissed for a duck.

Having fed on tripe bowled on the pads, Dhawan drove Harris twice for boundaries through the off side, then ceded the floor to Ravi Teja, before taking the lead once again following his dismissal. His intentions were clear right after the second time-out, as he slog-swept Chawla and Bhargav Bhatt. He scarred Harris in his return spell with consecutive fours, including one that almost decapitated the man at the non-striker's end, Cameron White. Dhawan's first six was over cow-corner, and he was unfortunate to miss out on three figures, not being able to farm much of the strike at the end of the innings.

Punjab had changed their strategy in this game, opting to chase, leaving some a little surprised since Adam Gilchrist had scored a blistering ton at the same venue after batting first in their previous game. The pressure of a big target, despite the friendly surface and the small boundaries, was too difficult a challenge. Paul Valthaty perished in the second over, Shaun Marsh smashed JP Duminy for successive boundaries but was caught on the third attempt, edging to short third man. Gilchrist stood in the way and there was hope when he launched Anand Rajan over extra cover and slog-swept Pragyan Ojha into the stands.

Unlike Punjab, though, Deccan caught well and when Gilchrist drove Daniel Christian straight to Cameron White in the 11th over, the game was decided. Mishra got into the act: his first wicket, that of McLaren, was a product of an excellent diving catch by Christian in the deep. Mandeep Singh swung and missed to be stumped off the next ball, and Harris edged a googly straight to second slip to complete the hat-trick. The element of suspense Punjab brought to a mostly predictable tournament was over. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.