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Scorecard | Match in Pics
Just when it mattered most, though, he failed to get bat on ball. T20 cricket hinges on such crucial moments, and with just two runs required for a win, Umesh Yadav's delivery beat Rahane's broad blade.
Owais Shah too failed to make the crease in his effort to sneak in a bye to tie the contest. As a result, Delhi sneaked home by just one run at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Sunday to continue their winning march in IPL-5.
Delhi's Purple Cap holder Morne Morkel deserves the kudos for an excellent penultimate over in which he gave away just three runs and picked up the wicket of Brad Hodge (22) as Rajasthan needed just 15 off the last 12 deliveries.
Morkel kept on firing the ball into the blockhole and finally trapped Hodge plumb in front off the final delivery.
Rahane, who took over the Orange Cap from Virender Sehwag with 416 runs in IPL-5 so far, still kept the visitors' hope intact, slicing Yadav over third man for a six and garnering a couple to bring the target down to two off the last ball. But the hosts had the final say in the encounter.
Chasing a modest total, Rajasthan played cool and calculated cricket with the opening pair of Ajinkya Rahane and Dravid (40; 38b, 5x4) putting on 99 runs for the opening wicket in 13.5 overs without breaking into a sweat. They probably paid the price for not finishing things in advance.
Earlier, Delhi skipper Virender Sehwag again came up with a brilliant knock. Consistency has been a rarity in Sehwag's game but in IPL-5 the story has been different. He became the first batsman to notch up 4 successive fifties in IPL and completed 100 T20 sixes as well!
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