JAIPUR — Rajasthan Royals got their Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2013 campaign off to a good start with a seven-wicket win over Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 champions Mumbai Indians in the inaugural match of the tournament at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here Saturday.



Rajasthan thus took the lead in Group A in the points table.



Chasing a modest 143 for victory, the Royals got home with two balls to spare, thanks to a fine half-century from Sanju Samson and a three-wicket haul by medium pacer Vikramjeet Malik.



A late blitz from the Mumbai Indians took them to a respectable 142 for seven, after Rohit Sharma (44) and Kieran Pollard (42) buoyed the score from a shaky 43 for four.



Rajasthan skipper Rahul Dravid, playing in his final tournament, surprised a few by deciding to bowl after winning the toss, to the delight of his young counterpart Rohit, who said he would have put Mumbai in to bat as well. But the oodles of experience and shrewdness showed as Dravid’s ploy worked, with Mumbai losing four wickets in the first nine overs itself.



Dravid used six bowlers in those nine overs, astutely shuffling his pack and keeping the Mumbai batsmen guessing.

Not blessed with the presence of superstars in his team, unlike the opposition, Dravid used the Moneyball technique with great efficiency, as bowlers such as Vikramjeet Malik (three for 24) and Stuart Binny (one for 13) were among the wickets.



Meanwhile, Australians Shane Watson and James Faulkner, and the relatively unknown Indians Ashok Menaria and Rahul Shukla bowled economically and kept Mumbai under pressure.

Brief scores:



Mumbai Indians 142 for 7 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 44, Kieran Pollard 42; Vikaramjeet Malik 3 for 24) lost to Rajasthan Royals 148 for 3 in 19.4 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 33, Sanju Samson 54; Rishi Dhawan 1 for 17) by 7 wickets. — Agencies