Royals make winning return to 'fortress'

Rajasthan Royals overcame a shaky start and were on course to post a competitive total before heavy rain lashed the Sawai Mansingh Stadium with Royals reaching 153 for five in 17.5 overs.

Intermittent rain led to a two and a half hour stoppage before umpires gave their go ahead for a shortened game. Royals' innings eventually ended at 153 for five and Delhi were set a revised target of 71 runs in six overs as per Duckworth-Lewis method.

The visitors made a disastrous start with Colin Munro run out off the first ball of the innings following a mix-up with Glenn Maxwell (17 off 12).

Royals' attack comprising pacers Ben Laughlin and Dhawal Kulkarni bowled well and kept the Daredevils batsmen guessing with their variations. Only two overs of Powerplay also hurt Delhi. With Rishabh Pant (20 off 14) gone in the penultimate over, Royals needed to defend 25 runs in the final over. Laughlin (2/20) did that pretty comfortably as Royals recorded their first win of the season. It was a second straight loss for Daredevils. Earlier, captain Ajinkya Rahane (45 off 40) and Sanju Samson (37 off 22) staged the Royals' recovery before Jos Buttler (29 off 18) and Rahul Tripathi (15 off 11) provided entertainment towards the end.

Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem (2/34) made a significant impact in his first game of the season, taking two crucial wickets. Royals, playing their first home game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in five years, were off to a wobbly start. Big Bash star D'Arcy Short (6) was run out for the second game in a row after a mix up with Rahane over the second run.

Brief scores: RR 153/5 in 17.5 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 45, Sanju Samson 37; Shahbaz Nadeem 2/34) beat DD 60/4 (Pant 20; Ben Laughlin 2/20) by 10 runs via D/L method.