Royals register first win

Faiz Fazal hit 31 off 23 balls to help Rajasthan Royals set a challenging total - one they were ultimately able to defend

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Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals turned in an efficient all-round show to defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by 34 runs and secure their first victory in the Indian Premier League in Ahmedabad.

Useful knocks from Abhishek Jhunjhunwala with 46, Adam Voges and Faiz Fazal propelled the Royals to 168 for seven after captain Shane Warne had won the toss.

In response, the Knight Riders made a mess of the chase and were restricted to 134 for five as they crashed to their second consecutive defeat after a bright start to the tournament.

The Royals’ innings crackled and fizzled in equal measure after they lost opener Michael Lumb leg before first ball of the innings to Ashok Dinda.

Number three Fazal unleashed a rash of attacking strokes – he hammered Dinda for three fours in five balls in the bowler’s second over - which helped provide impetus, but his dismissal at the end of the fifth again plunged the Royals into recovery mode.

Powerful hitting, however, from Jhunjhunwala, who fell just short of his half- century, and Voges - in the side as a replacement for Damien Martyn - took them up to a respectable total.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Brad Hodge added 50 for the Knight Riders’ second wicket, but they scored slowly and the required run-rate climbed steadily.

Despite some late urgency from Sourav Ganguly and Owais Shah, who hit 18 not out, they fell well short of the target.