Royals complete record IPL run chase with Tewatia's six spree

(Reuters) - Rajasthan Royals' Rahul Tewatia clubbed the Kings XI Punjab bowlers for seven sixes, including five in one over, as his side successfully chased 224 on Sunday -- the highest run chase in Indian Premier League (IPL) history.

The previous record was also held by the Royals when they chased down a target of 215 against the Deccan Chargers in 2008.

After Kings XI smashed 223 on the back of Mayank Agarwal's 106 and KL Rahul's 69, Steve Smith (50) and Sanju Samson (85) built a platform for the chase before Tewatia walked in and struggled to get going on the flat Sharjah pitch.

With 51 required off three overs and Tewatia stuck on 17 off 23 balls, he smashed five sixes in Sheldon Cottrell's over to turn the tables before notching his half-century with another that cleared the short boundary in the following over.

"That was the worst 20 balls I have ever faced," Tewatia said. "I was not hitting the ball well initially (and) I saw in the dugout, how everybody was looking.

"The dugout knows I can hit the ball long... It was a matter of one six. Five in the over, that is amazing."

The Royals smashed 86 runs in the last five overs -- a record in an IPL run chase -- with England fast bowler Jofra Archer also getting in on the act with 13 off three before Tom Curran hit the winning runs with three balls to spare.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)