Royals plunges Chargers to third successive defeat

Hyderabad: Andrew Symonds' fastest hundred went in vain as Rajasthan Royals notched up a thrilling three-wicket win over Deccan Chargers in their Indian Premier League encounter here today.
Shane Warne (22) repaid Symonds in the same coin by hitting him for two successive sixes in the final over to script his team's victory.
Chasing 215 to win, Royals overhauled the target with a ball to spare with Warne coming up with a 22-run cameo off just nine balls.
Requiring 17 runs off the final over, Warne wielded willow to great effects as he twice hit Symonds over the ropes to seal a nail-biting win.
Royals made a befitting reply through Yousuf Pathan (61) Greame Smith (71) and Mohammad Kaif (34).
The hosts had piled up 214 for five, largely built around Symonds' unbeaten knock of 117 runs, after put in to bat by rival skipper.
Pathan and Smith, who made his IPL debut today, shared a crucial 98-run partnership for the second wicket.
Required run-rate soared after the departure of Pathan, who hit six sixes and four boundaries, but Kaif hit three sixes in 15th over bowled by Symonds to keep the target within their reach.
Afridi (3/27) removed Kaif and Smith in the 17th over and conceded just six runs to turn the tide in favour of the hosts and it could have been three wickets for Afridi had Kalyankrishna not dropped Ravinder Jadeja. R P Singh then castled Jadeja with a perfect yorker apart from effecting a run out Salunke (1) in the penultimate over and it looked Chargers would finally taste the victory.
However, it was anti-climax for the hosts who plunged to their third successive defeat following gritty batting by rival skipper.
Earlier, Symonds hit the fastest hundred of the tournament through some lusty hitting and weaved 111-run fourth-wicket stand with Rohit Sharma (36).
Symonds hit an unbeaten 117-run knock, studded with seven sixes and 11 boundaries off 53 balls, making full use of a dropped chance at the individual score of 75.
Paceman Munaf Patel and spin-great Warne bore the brunt of the Symonds fury as they conceded 55 and 47 runs in their quota of four overs. Chargers' skipper VVS Laxman came to open the batting with Australian Adam Gilchrist and the duo put on 22 for the first wicket before Yousuf Pathan's double strike in the third over.
Royals skipper Shane Warne brought in Pathan early in the innings and the bowler responded with two wickets in an eventful over.
Pathan dismissed the dangerous Gilchrist (13) on the second ball of the over as the Australian came forward, got deceived in the air, and was stumped by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.
Shahid Afridi then joined his skipper and hit a six and a boundary before handing a catch to Ravinder Jadeja at mid-on while attempting a big shot.
Laxman (16) and Symonds then put on 43 runs for the third-wicket, which not only helped hosts to recover from 32 for two but set the platform for the big score.
Laxman bacame vicitm of Warne as he offered a caught and bowled chance while flicking, which the leggie accepted gleefully.Yousuf Pathan failed to latch on a catch off Siddharth Trivedi at point giving the Australian a chance to notch up his hundred in just 47-balls.
And he did it in style by lofting the rival skipper Shane Warne for a huge long-on six, during his superb innings, which made the rival bowlers look like ordinary.