Rajasthan triumph in Royal Rumble

The result: Rajasthan Royals 4-217 (Samson 92no, Chahal 2-22) defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore 6-198 (Kohli 57, Gopa 2-22) by 19 runs.

The match in a tweet: Samson shows strength in taking down Virat Kohli’s men, smashing 10 sixes en-route to an unbeaten 92 in a 19-run victory #RCBvRR

The Samson offensive: Samsons are known for their strength and 23-year-old Sanju Samson was no different on the Bengaluru wicket, muscling an astonishing 10 sixes and finishing with an unbeaten 92. Umesh Yadav bore the brunt of the youngster's onslaught, going for 59 runs from his four overs. Remarkably, Samson could only muster 12 runs from his first 11 deliveries, before unleashing an attack that stunned the hosts, plundering 80 runs from his next 34 balls. The Rajasthan batsman now the holder of the highest score this season.

The Stoked Ben: After a slow start to this edition of the IPL, Ben Stokes finally found some form against Virat Kohli’s side, posting 27 and claiming 1-32 from three overs. Not astonishing figures by his lofty standards, but he rotated the strike with Samson dominating at the other end and found the boundary when needed. With the ball, he was tight and leaked only one six paired with seven dot balls. His outfield catch to remove Brendon McCullum was stunning and gave the Royals a perfect start to their bowling innings. There was enough positives to suggest a big IPL11 is on the cards for last year's MVP.

Short’s spin problem: With a high price tag and even higher expectations after a stellar Big Bash League season, D’Arcy Short hasn’t had the start to the IPL he or the Rajasthan Royals would’ve wanted. He struggled against RCB’s spin brigade, able to score just three runs from 10 deliveries from the tweakers, falling to Yuzvendra Chahal (2-22) who got one to spin away from the left-hander and take the edge as he attempted a cut shot. Kevin Pietersen was scathing of the young Australian, calling Short out for his inability to rotate the strike and his constant search for a big shot. With scores of 4, 6 and 11, and with South African Heinrich Klaasen waiting in the wings for an opportunity, Short will need to show something soon or face losing his spot in the side.

The Aussie Pack: D'Arcy Short tried to play a patient role that ultimately backfired when he was caught behind for 11 from 17 balls in the seventh over, with his teammate Ben Laughlin not faring much better as he went for 46 from his four overs as the fifth-change bowler. He picked up the late wicket of Pawan Negi with a ball that squared the middle-order batsman up and took the edge.

The next stop: Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to bounce back when they take on the winless Mumbai Indians on Wednesday at the Wankhede Stadium, before Rajasthan meet the Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday to try and complete a hat-trick of victories.

Australian viewers can watch the 2018 season of the IPL exclusively on Fox Sports