Too much Salt for RR's liking

PHIL Salt's explosive 33-ball 65 laid the foundation and Virat Kohli's 100th T20 fifty provided the finishing touch as Royal Challengers Bengaluru cruised to a dominant nine-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the IPL on Sunday.

- AGENCIES @ Jaipur

RCB's decision to bowl first paid off on a surface that stayed low and offered variable bounce, even as Yashasvi Jaiswal's fluent 75 off 47 balls stood out in Rajasthan Royals' total of 173/4. On a slow, tacky Sawai Mansingh surface where stroke-making was far from easy, Salt's counterattack stunned the hosts.

He smashed six sixes and five fours in his fiery innings, putting RR's bowlers under pressure from the start.

His assault, followed by Kohli's unbeaten 62 off 45 balls (4x4, 2x6), helped RCB chase down 174 with ease, finishing the job in just 17.3 overs.