Top order has to buck up: Warne

Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne asked his top-order batsmen to take responsibility if they have to salvage any chance of defending their title in the second edition of the Indian Premier League.

Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne asked his top-order batsmen to take responsibility if they have to salvage any chance of defending their title in the second edition of the Indian Premier League.

Rajasthan Royal lost their IPL tie against Kings XI Punjab by 27 runs yesterday after their top order collapsed within seven overs at a score of 36.

Shane Warne

"Our bowling and fielding were very good... maybe they got 10-15 runs extra. We should have been able to chase 140 but unfortunately our top order failed. They bowled well but we just didn't get our combination right.
Guys at the top are not doing the job, we have to look at that, the bowlers and fielders are doing there job," Warne said.

"The batting is not fine and guys have to take the responsibility and show how important the competition is for them, so hopefully we will get it right in the next game," the spin great added.

Warne said if they could have put up a good batting display in the first five or six overs, they might have emerged as the winning side.

"This pitch has a history and so it would have been better batting first. If we can bat well in the first five-six overs, we would surely be a tough force in the competition," he said.