Phil Salt led the way with a blistering 65 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down Rajasthan Royals’ 173 with nine wickets and 15 balls to spare in the season’s first game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The win, RCB’s fourth on the bounce away from home, pushed them back up into the playoffs positions.

Where was the game won?

In the two PowerPlays. The pitch appeared to play a touch slower in the first innings, as toss-winning captain Rajat Patidar might have hoped for, but the Royals opening pair of Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal were not allowed to get going. In contrast, Salt effectively sealed the game with his onslaught in the first six overs, after which the chase was but a procession.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS

PowerPlay: An arm-wrestle of a start
Phase Score: 45/0 (RR: 7.5; 4s/6s: 6/1)

RCB did well to keep one of this season’s fastest-scoring PowerPlay sides to just 45 runs, even though they couldn’t break through with a wicket. The pitch played slow and wasn’t easy to hit through the line early on, and RCB’s seamers hit good lengths consistently to make strokeplay difficult. They also showed tactical flexibility-using a short third man as a fly slip and a short extra cover for Sanju Samson. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the more fluent of the two openers, using his feet well and struck six of the seven boundaries RR managed in the phase. Samson, in contrast, found it harder to get going, managing just 13 off 16 balls.

Middle Overs: Jaiswal holds firm at one end
Phase Score: 69/2 (RR: 7.67; 4s/6s: 7/1)

Krunal Pandya was brought on right after the PowerPlay and immediately struck, stumping the struggling Sanju Samson. RCB leaned on their spinners in the early part of this phase, and Suyash Sharma should’ve had a wicket too-but Yash Dayal shelled a regulation chance at backward point off Riyan Parag, in an over that leaked 12. It summed up a forgettable fielding display from RCB, marked by seven misfields and two dropped catches.

Jaiswal and Parag steadied the innings with a 56-run stand, but just as the pair looked set to accelerate, Dayal returned and broke through-deceiving Parag with a slower ball that he chipped straight to extra cover. By then, Jaiswal had moved to his third half-century at this venue, off 35 balls. Krunal, meanwhile, quietly delivered a crucial spell, finishing with 4-0-29-1.

Death Overs: Late flourish takes RR to a competitive score
Phase Score: 59/2 (RR: 11.80; 4s/6s: 5/3)

Jaiswal looked set for a blazing finish when he took on Hazlewood in the 16th over, striking a six and a four. But the Australian hit back, trapping him LBW for a well-made 75 off 48. RCB then missed another opportunity in Suyash Sharma’s final over-this time Virat Kohli spilling a sitter at long-off to reprieve Dhruv Jurel. That drop proved costly. Jurel capitalised, hitting a pair of fours and sixes in an unbeaten 23-ball 35 that helped RR push past the 170 mark. It was still the second-lowest total for a team losing just four wickets since the inception of the Impact Player rule.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU

PowerPlay: Salt into RR’s wounds
Phase Score: 65/0 (RR: 10.83; 4s/6s: 6/4)

The drop-catching bug carried into the second innings, and Phil Salt made the Royals pay, blasting 46 of the 65 PowerPlay runs with four sixes and as many fours. He was let off on 40 by Yashasvi Jaiswal, shortly after Riyan Parag put down a high catch that denied Sandeep Sharma a record-equalling eighth dismissal of Virat Kohli in the IPL.

The Royals’ bowlers, especially Jofra Archer, found appreciable swing early on, but by the end of the phase, they were at the mercy of Salt’s clean hitting and bat swing.

Middle Overs: Kohli scores 100th T20 50
Phase Score: 81/1 (RR: 9.00; 4s/6s: 5/4)

Salt showed no signs of slowing down against spin, even with the field spread. He made room and drilled Wanindu Hasaranga through extra cover to bring up a 28-ball half-century, then followed it up with a six each off Hasaranga and Kumar Kartikeya. His blistering 33-ball 65, featuring six sixes, ended when he holed out to Kartikeya, but not before a 92-run opening stand had all but sealed the game.

Kohli, who had played second fiddle during the assault, shifted gears seamlessly. From 30 off 28, he scored 20 off his next 11 balls, including a pristine straight six stepping down to his former teammate Hasaranga. His third half-century of the season also marked his 100th 50 in T20s, a milestone only David Warner has reached before.

Death Overs: Padikkal helps seal dominant win
Phase Score: 29/0 (RR: 12.61; 4s/6s: 3/1)

Devdutt Padikkal carried on his strong start to the tournament, finishing unbeaten on a brisk 40 off 28 balls as RCB chased down the target with 15 balls to spare.

Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 173/5 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 75, Dhruv Jurel 35*, Sanju Samson 15, Riyan Parag 30; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1-32, Yash Dayal 1-36, Josh Hazelwood 1-26, Krunal Pandya 1-29) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 175/1 in 17.3 overs (Phil Salt 65, Virat Kohli 62*, Devdutt Padikkal 40*; Kumar Kartikeya 1-25) by 9 wickets.

What’s next for the teams?

Rajasthan Royals are on the road again and will face LSG at the Ekana Stadium on April 16. RCB have a slightly longer break in the middle of their hectic schedule. They will face the big-hitting PBKS hoping to register their first home win on April 18.