XtraTime Web Desk: At first leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal’s three important wickets and later in the second innings England’s star wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler’s classy knock of 59 runs helped Rajasthan Royals to register their first win this season as they beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 7 wickets.
Buttler led the chase with his confident knock as Royals overhauled the target with one ball to spare, handing RCB their fourth defeat in a row.
RCB, who dropped plenty of catches in this match, are placed at the bottom of eight-team table without any points.
Buttler packed a lot of power in his strokes and went on to score his second fifty of the season. It was his seventh fifty of last 10 IPL matches as well. He hit eight fours and a six on a wicket which got slower as the game wore on.
Royals were off to a steady if not fiery start with Ajinkya Rahane (22) and Buttler adding 60 runs for the first wicket. Rahane was dropped on 1 by Kohli off Mandeep Saini but the skipper did not utilise on the reprieve as much as he would have liked, getting trapped by Yuzvendra Chahal (2-17).
Buttler and Steve Smith (38) added 44 for the second wicket but Chahal struck again, dismissing the British batsman.
Smith went on to add 50 runs for the third wicket with Rahul Tripathi (34 not out), who finished the match with a six in the penultimate ball of the contest.