NAGPUR: Shane Watson hit a blazing 36-ball 58 before Shane Warne returned with a four-wicket haul as Rajasthan Royals edged out Deccan Chargers by two runs in a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Monday.

Watson blasted three fours and as many sixes but Rajasthan Royals suffered a middle-order batting collapse to be dismissed for 159 in 19.5 overs . However, skipper Warne produced a brilliant bowling to wreck havoc in the rival camp, dismissing — Anirudh Singh (nine), Dwayne Smith (four), Azhar Bilakhia (two) and Ryan Harris (one) — as the Royals shot out Deccans two runs off the target.

For Deccan, Rohit Sharma played a brilliant 44-ball 73-run knock but it went in vain as the home team succumbed to their fifth straight loss. With this win, Rajasthan climbed up to the fourth place with 10 points from 10 matches.

Needing six runs off six balls, Deccan lost RP Singh (three), Harmeet Singh (naught) and Rohit in three consecutive balls as their semi-final hopes went up in smoke. Chasing 160 to win, Gilchrist (34) gave Deccan a blistering start, clobbering a six and successive fours off Watson in the second over.

Laxman (six) also tried to follow suit and slammed a four off Dole in the third over before dragging one straight to Yusuf Pathan at deep square-leg. Gilchrist, however, blasted consecutive sixes off Dole in the fifth over but the former Australian holed out to Lumb at square-leg in the very next delivery as Deccan lost their second wicket at 47-2 in 4.5 overs.

Andrew Symonds (15) and Rohit then added 39 runs from 32 balls before the former’s top-edge was caught by Faiz Faisal at extra cover off Shiddarth Trivedi. Warne then dismissed Anirudh Singh

after wicketkeeper

Naman Ojha took a good catch as Deccan slipped to 112-4 in 13.5 overs. Warne struck again in his next over, dismissing Dwayne Smith as the home team lost half of their side for 120 in 15.3 overs.

Needing 40 runs off

27 balls, Rohit blasted three back to back boundaries in the last three

balls of the 17th over to ease the pressure. However, Warne claimed two more wickets in the next over — Azhar Bilakhia and Ryan Harris — to leave the Deccan struggling at 139-7 in 17.4 overs.

Needing 15 off 11 deliveries, Rohit slammed a four and a six of the 19th over to bring the target down to six off six balls but they lost their remaining three wickets in the last over as the match slipped out of their hand.