Vintage Karthik guides Bangalore home

Main Photo Credit: BCCI/IPL

Dinesh Karthik has wound back the clock with a brilliant 44 not out to steer the Royal Challengers Bangalore to their second consecutive win in this year's edition of the IPL.

The 36-year-old's innings came off just 23 balls and included seven boundaries and a six, as he took apart a Rajasthan Royals bowling line-up boasting the likes of Trent Boult and Ravi Ashwin.

Bangalore had been set 170 for victory by the Royals, chasing it down with five balls to spare to secure a four-wicket win.

Rajasthan were again led by Jos Buttler, who backed up his 100 against Mumbai last match with 70 not out on Tuesday.

The Englishman's knock wasn't as free flowing a usual however, with Buttler starved of the strike for much of the innings.

Devdutt Padikkal (37 off 29) provided him assistance in the opening stages of the match after Yashasvi Jaiswal was bowled for just four, before Shimron Hetmyer joined him with the score 3-86.

Despite taking nine balls to get off the mark, Hetmyer soon found his groove and was at his destructive best in an innings of 42 not out that included two sixes.

Two of Buttler's six sixes for the match came in the final over to boost the Bangalore score to 169, with the opener batting through the innings to remain 70 not out off 47 balls.

The late flurry from Buttler and Hetmyer gave their side the momentum going into the second innings, however Banglaore openers Faf du Plessis and Anuj Rawat halted this from the outset.

Both scored freely on their way to a 55-run opening stand, before du Plessis fell to Yuzvendra Chahal for 29.

That brought about a string of Bangalore wickets, with Rawat out the next over, while former captain Virat Kohli (5) was run-out in a mix-up with new partner David Willey shortly after.

Willey was then bowled by Chahal for a duck the very next ball, leaving Bangalore reeling at 4-62 amid a collapse of four wickets for just seven runs.

But the joy for Rajasthan would end there, with Karthik's calm influence at the crease ultimately seeing his side home.

He hit spinner Ashwin for three boundaries and a six in a massive 21-run over that changed the course of the game, before Shahbaz Ahmed continued the onslaught with a series of boundaries of his own.

Shahbaz launched three sixes in a crucial knock off 45 from 26 balls, with he and Karthik's 67-run partnership icing the game.

The win sees Bangalore jump to sixth on what is a jam-packed IPL ladder to begin the season, with six teams all on four points.

Rajasthan remain atop of the table despite the loss given their superior net run rate, with their next match against new side the Lucknow Super Giants on April 11.

The 2022 Indian Premier League will be broadcast live in Australia on Fox Sports and live streamed on Kayo

Australians in IPL 2022

Delhi Capitals: Mitchell Marsh, David Warner

Gujarat Titans: Matthew Wade

Kolkata Knight Riders: Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch

Lucknow Super Giants: Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye

Mumbai Indians: Tim David, Daniel Sams, Riley Meredith

Punjab Kings: Nathan Ellis

Rajasthan Royals: Nathan Coulter-Nile

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, Jason Behrendorff