Captain Steve Smith scored 57 off 36 balls to help Rajasthan Royals reach a competitive 177/6 in 20 overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Saturday’s afternoon IPL game.
Smith hit six fours and a six and added 58 runs with Jos Buttler for the fourth wicket.
Robin Uthappa opened the innings as Rajasthan Royals decided to push Buttler down to No.5 to strengthen their lower middle-order. Karnataka's Uthappa hammered 41 off 22 balls to provide a flying start to Royals after Smith had won the toss and elected to bat.
"We needed to get the team off to a good start," said Uthappa at the end of the Royals' innings.
Ben Stokes, playing his third match of the season, managed to make just a 19-ball 15 before becoming Morris’ first wicket of the day.
Yuzvendra Chahal bowled a solid eighth over in which he picked the wickets of Uthappa and Sanju Samson on back-to-back deliveries.
Smith forged a 58-run stand with Jos Buttler and then added 46 runs with Rahul Tewatia to help the team get a solid score on the board.
Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals: 177/6 wkts in 20 overs (S Smith 57, R Uthappa 41, J Buttler 24, C Morris 3/26) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)