Calcutta/Mumbai: Ajinkya Rahane continued with his sparkling form as he struck a 54-ball unbeaten 91 to help Rajasthan Royals beat Delhi DareDevils by 14 runs and bounce back in what was the 500th IPL match, at the Brabourne, on Sunday.

Rahane shared 113 runs with Karun Nair, who made 61 off 38 balls, from just 11.3 overs for the second wicket as the Royals scored an imposing 189 for two after being put in to bat. Chasing a stiff target, the DareDevils could reach till 175 for seven as the Royals are back on top of the points table.

The DareDevils, who suffered their fifth loss in nine matches, remained on the sixth spot with eight points. The visiting side struggled throughout their run chase as they lost their first wicket early in the third over. They lost wickets at regular intervals and did not have a substantial partnership.

Captain Jean-Paul Duminy top-scored with a 39-ball 56, but none of his teammates, including Yuvraj Singh (22), gave him even a bit of support as the Royals won the match quite comfortably in the end. Royals' captain Shane Watson and James Faulkner strangled the DareDevils batsmen with some top class pace bowling. Stuart Binny and Dhawal Kulkarni also grabbed two wickets apiece.

Yuvraj gave glimpses of what he could do in peak form as he hit three fours off Binny in one over before left-arm pacer Faulkner cramped him first and then baited him with a short ball that he hooked only to be caught at deep square leg. Yuvraj's dismissal left Duminy, who was struggling against the extra bounce of Watson and Faulkner, and Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews a steep hill to climb, which did not happen as the latter departed after adding 41 runs with his captain.

Rahane, after yet another match-winning knock, again became the highest run-getter of this edition to regain the Orange Cap. "I played a rash shot in the previous game and so was determined to perform today," Rahane said.

Excerpts

Shane Watson: We lost some momentum, but we did well to turn it around. To get 189 on that wicket was a great effort. Ajinkya and Karun were brilliant. Ajinkya, particularly, was fantastic. The bowlers then did an excellent job in defending the total. I did feel the ball would seam around as there was a bit of grass on the wicket. Precisely, it was a good cricket wicket. Overall, we did a really good job and the ball swinging around too helped. Hopefully, we'll win every game from here. We have got the momentum back and we can't let go of it now.

JP Duminy: I still think it was the right decision to leave out Imran Tahir and bowl first. We're guilty of not putting the ball in the right areas and we let ourselves down in the field today. They got a great start. A total of 190 was gettable here, but unfortunately, we didn't get any partnership going.

Ajinkya Rahane (MoM): I just wanted to keep it really simple. When I try to experiment, I get out. I played a rash shot in the previous game and so was determined to perform today. It's also very important as to how you adjust to the format. Watto just told me to back my instincts. It is important to build a foundation in the first six overs and then back our game as the innings progresses. Karun also batted really well. He made it count after not being able to get a big score in the last nine-10 matches. We were just discussing about timing the ball, as it was a fast outfield... I am really enjoying the occasion. I am not thinking about the Orange Cap, I just want to keep it simple and score as many runs as possible.