Mascarenhas has Panthers' measure

In Royals captain Shane Warne’s swansong appearance on English soil, Mascarenhas blasted an unbeaten 16-ball 32 to help his side reach 162.

The English all-rounder, named man of the match, then returned to claim Neil Dexter and the dangerous Owais Shah as Middlesex managed 116 for seven in the match staged to aid the British Asian Trust.

For the Royals, Faiz Fazal (27), Swapnil Asnodkar (41) and Mohammad Kaif (41) shone with the bat, while Dawid Malan (34) top scored for Middlesex before becoming Warne’s lone victim of the match. Sohail Tavir once again underlined his stature as a Twenty20 bowler, claiming three wickets conceding 20 runs in his four overs.

Royals got off to a flying start as Fazal and Asnodkar put on 55 inside seven overs.
Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals: 162/5 in 20 overs (F Fazal 27, S Asnodkar 41, M Kaif 41, D Mascarenhas 32 n.o.; Malan 2-23) bt Middlesex Panthers: 116/7 in 20 overs (N Dexter 26, D Malan 34, G Berg 26; Mascarenhas 2-24, Tanvir 3-20).