Cricket: Rajasthan Royals Cruise Into IPL Final In a Tale of Two Shanes

Messrs. Warne and Watson put on a scintillating performance with bat and ball to ensure the Rajasthan Royals' safe passage into the Indian Premier League final on Sunday.

Warne, easily the captain of the tournament, set an attacking field from the outset and motivated his charges to produce a huge 105-run victory over a Delhi Daredevils side who were never at the races. 

The 38-year-old Australian achieved an incredible level of spin and finished his four over spell for 2-21, great figures for a leg spinner in limited overs cricket.

On a Mumbai wicket that had turn and bounce, the Royals racked up an impressive 192 after being put in to bat, with the highlights including an opening stand of 65 between Twenty20's little and large pairing, Graeme Smith and Swapnil Asnodkar.

However, the star of the show was Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, who became the first man of the tournament to score a half century and take three wickets in a single match, hitting a quick-fire 52 and taking the key wickets of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Ghambir.

Delhi Daredevils needed a run-rate of almost 10 an over from the outset and, with the pressure piling on the top three batsmen, Sehwag holed out in the deep attempting a vast shot.

Wickets fell at steady intervals and the Daredevils were never in danger of causing an upset, as the Rajasthan Royals proceeded into the final, barely breaking a sweat.

Watson's performances throughout the competition have led to many labeling him as man of the tournament, and this showing will surely have caught the eyes of the Australian selectors.

The plaudits belong to the two Shanes of the Royals, with the expert captaincy of Warne and the explosive hitting of Watson taking the game away from Sehwag's men, many of whom will now be looking towards the Asia Cup in a bid to banish the memories of a failed tilt at the IPL title.

The Royals will play either MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings or Yuvraj Singh's King's XI Punjab, who play their semi-final tomorrow.

The King's XI's Shaun Marsh ensured a good victory over Warne's men earlier in the week, but the question is: will either of these be able to halt the charge of a full-strength Rajasthan Royals side desperate to win the inaugural IPL title?