IPL 2020, RR vs RCB: Steve Smith joins David Warner, Kumar Sangakkara in an IPL record

Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Steven Smith became the fourth overseas player to complete 1,000 runs as captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 on Saturday.

Smith achieved the milestone during his side's IPL 2020 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Having led two teams in the IPL – Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) and RR - Smith now has 1,014 runs from 36 innings as captain. The other three on the list are David Warner, Adam Gilchrist, and Kumar Sangakkara.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Warner leads the overseas list with 2,383 runs at an average of 49. 65 ahead of Gilchrist (1,900 runs), who had led Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), and Sangakkara, who scored 1,035 runs as captain in the Indian T20 league, where he had led KXIP and SRH.

Overall, in the list of most runs among IPL captains, the top four features all Indians. With 4,328 runs, Kohli is the record holder, who is also the leading run-scorer in the tournament, having scored 5,759 runs. Not far behind, next in the list is Chennai Super Kings (CSK) superstar MS Dhoni (4,275 runs), who has also led RPS in the tournament. The third and fourth place features Gautam Gambhir (3,518 runs), and Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma (2,944 runs).

On Saturday, after being asked to bat first, RR posted 177 for 6 in 20 overs. Opening batters Ben Stokes and Robin Uthappa powered RR to a decent start before the latter was dismissed in the sixth over, leaving RR at 50 for 1. While RR lost their No. 3 batsman Sanju Samson early in the innings, Smith's half-century brought their innings back on track. The Australian smashed 36-ball 57, including a six and six fours.