Table toppers Rajasthan Royals put up a total of 191/6 in 20 overs in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Kings XI Punjab at the Sardar Patel Stadium here on Tuesday.
Kings XI opted to field but things did not go according to their plan as Ajinkya Rahane (74) and skipper Shane Watson (45) put up a brilliant 95-run opening-wicket partnership for the Royals.
The partnership set up a platform for the home team to put up a big total on the board, which they did eventually. Though Watson perished in the 12th over, five short of a half-century, right-handed Rahane top-scored, hitting two sixes and six boundaries in his 54-ball innings.
The Royals lost quite a few wickets towards the end but a couple of cameos from Karun Nair (25), Deepak Hooda (19), and all-rounder Stuart Binny (12 not out) took the home team past the 190-run mark.
It was not the best of days for the Kings XI bowlers with all of them going for more than six runs per over. Though pacer Sandeep Sharma was economical with figures of 4-0-25-1, it was spinner Axar Patel who picked up 2/30 from his four overs.