Royal Challengers Bangalore made short work of Rajasthan Royals, recording a seven-wicket victory at Dubai on Wednesday.
Set a target of 150, RCB romped home with 17 deliveries to spare.
Skipper Virat Kohli (25, 20b, 4x4) and Devdutt Padikkal (22, 17b, 4x4) put the chase on the right track, with a 48-run opening stand. K.S. Bharat (44, 35b, 3x4, 1x6) and Glenn Maxwell (50 n.o., 30b, 6x4, 1x6) then built a 69-run third-wicket stand to shut RR out of the contest. Maxwell notched up his second consecutive fifty.
Earlier, RR frittered away a great start and finished with a sub-par total.
RR openers Evin Lewis and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave the side a rollicking start. Lewis threw the kitchen sink at anything in his arc, making a rapid 37-ball 58 (5x4, 3x6). Jaiswal was less adventurous in his 22-ball 31 (3x4, 2x6), but thoroughly effective.
The pair put on 77 runs in 8.1 overs, before Jaiswal mistimed a slower ball from Dan Christian to Mohammed Siraj at mid-off. Lewis persisted with his attacking approach, until English left-arm pacer George Garton — playing his first IPL match — got rid of the left-hander from Trinidad.
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RR captain Sanju Samson, in great form, started well with a couple of sixes. Poor shot selection, however, cut short his stay. Samson (19, 15b, 2x6) made room to loft left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed, but despite making good contact, found Padikkal at sweeper cover.
RR could not recover from this blow, as Shahbaz dismissed Rahul Tewatia cheaply in the same over. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal got rid of Liam Livingstone to leave RR reeling at 127 for six in 16.2 overs.
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Fast bowler Harshal Patel then entered the attack and nearly recorded his second consecutive hat-trick of the tournament. He prised out Riyan Parag and Chris Morris, before a cautious Kartik Tyagi averted the hat-trick bid.
Harshal, the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, once again had a good outing, with figures of three for 34. Chahal and Shahbaz finished with two scalps each.
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