Watson - the key man for Jaipur

The Rajasthan Royals were in a bit of trouble against the Delhi Daredevils on Sunday before a familiar rescue act saved their skin. Shane Watson has re-defined the cliche value for money with his eye catching all-round performances so far and is his captain's turn to man in all situations.

Shane Watson won his third man-of-the match award for the Rajasthan Royals in the DLF-IPL. Watson took two wickets and then blasted 74 from 40 balls to lead the Royals to a three wicket victory against the Delhi Daredevils.

As Shane Warne's boys close-in on a semi-final spot, they have to attribute a lot of their success to Watson's efforts so far.

"Shane Watson came and implied. It was perhaps one of the best innings of the IPL. It was just an amazing innings and I can't price high enough and how cleanly he hit the ball from the first ball. He is one of the most important players in this competition. He is just fantastic," said Warne..

Watson has now scored 287 runs at an average of 57 and a handy strike rate of 157. He also has the second most wickets, one behind Zaheer Khan. His 12 wickets have come at an average of 19 and he is conceding less than 7 runs-an-over. All this for a man who cost around 50 lakh rupees.

Compare that to his fellow Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds who was purchased for around 5 crore rupees. Symonds played only four matches and it's evident that Watson has been a true value for money.

"I have been in and out of international cricket in the last 5 years but here play such a high quality tournament with best players in the world in India. It is always going to be a great chance doe me. I am loving it and having a ball," said Shane Watson.

Clearly, a five-day break before the Royals play the Bangalore Royal Challengers on Saturday, should help recharge Watson's batteries and help him come out firing as the tournament heads into an important phase.

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