dharmikmoni
Dharmik Moni
<h1>Rajasthan Royals star men - James Faulkner and Tim Southee </h1>
A year ago's Indian Premier League runners-up Kings XI Punjab made a losing begin to the new battle with a 26-run thrashing to Rajasthan Royals.
Kings XI, who were beaten by Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2014 last, put the meeting Royals into dish, yet saw Australian Cricket World Cup champs Steve Smith (33) and James Faulkner (46) aide Rajasthan to 162-7 from their 20 overs.
Furthermore, regardless of 37 from Murali Vijay, Kings XI never debilitated the triumph target, completing on 136-8.
Faulkner (3-26) did the harm again and Tim Southee - one of the stars of New Zealand's World Cup crusade - took 2-36 and setting up Karun Nair for a dazzling late catch as the Royals traveled to triumph.
The Royals lost Ajinkya Rahane for a duck and Sanju Samson (5) in the initial three overs and appeared to be in a bad position at 35-3 when Nair withdrew in the wake of scoring only eight runs.
Smith steadied the boat with a stand of 39 with Stuart Binny (13) preceding Faulkner - whose 33-ball 46 offered five limits - consolidated for 51 with Deepak Hooda (30) to place Rajasthan in a conventional position.
Rajasthan made the ideal begin to their barrier of that aggregate as Southee released veteran Virender Sehwag for nothing.
Vijay assumed responsibility by hitting three of his five limits in the initial three overs before Wriddhiman Saha (7) was run out graciousness of a direct hit from Samson.
The hazardous Glenn Maxwell's (7) way out soon took after and Vijay endured the same destiny as Saha to leave Kings XI on 64-4 in the ninth over.
Axar Patel (24), David Miller (23) and George Bailey (24) all valiantly attempted to protect the reason for the hosts with quickfire cameos.
Anyhow when Southee had splendidly palmed the ball back to the jumping Nair as he fell over the limit rope to claim the scalp of Bailey toward the end of the penultimate over, any trust of a Kings XI triumph had everything except been quenched.