Bengaluru: Maverick Royal Challengers batsmen Abraham de Villiers (129) and Virat Kohli (109) pummelled the Gujarat Lions bowling attack to blast electrifying centuries, powering the team to 248/3 in 20 overs at the M. Chinnaswami Stadium here on Saturday.

It literally rained sixes and fours from the blades of the awesome de Villiers-Kohli duo, sending the jam packed stadium into hysterics.

De Villiers who remained unbeaten smashed 12 sixes and 10 fours while Royal Challengers captain Kolhi blasted eight sixes and six fours. Kohli hit a 55-ball-109 while de Villiers smashed a 52-ball-129.

Altogether, RCB cracked 37 boundaries, 17 fours and 20 sixes. Of the total run of 248 scored, 188 emerged from boundaries alone. Other than the two centurions, only Chirs Gayle hit a four.

Kolhi produced the following scoreboard reading in the 19th over off left arm spinner Shivil Kaushik: 6, 4, 6, 6, 6 and 2, totaling 30 runs.

De Villiers and Kohli built a partnership of 229 runs in 97 balls. The intensity of hitting can be comprehended by the way runs flowed. At one time in the last stages of the innings, the duo plundered 47 runs in 14 balls.

Time and again, De Villiers is proving one characteristic he possesses very consistently: hitting the ball as hard as possible in all possible directions irrespective of the bowler, fielding set-up and the situation of the match.

Some of the sixes hit by de Villiers are so unique that only he could hit them. Some of the shots demanding extreme flexibility included a couple of deep sixes near the third man position, rarely seen before.

In the 16th over, de Villiers scored 23 runs, he reached his century in 42 balls with nine boundaries and eight sixes.

Not just boundaries, quick running between the wickets also helped Royal Challengers greatly in grabbing many quick singles and exploiting sloppy fielding by the Gujarat Lions at times.

Actually starting the innings slowly, Royal Challengers could only manage 10/0 after the first three overs, opened by Chirs Gayle and Kohli. After seven overs, RCB were at 50/1.

Hell-bent on ending his run of poor form, Gayle kept it slow, trying to steal quick singles.

Despite exhibiting great discipline, Gayle succumbed to an inside edge off Dhawal Kulkarni in the fifth ball of the fourth over. Dejected, he walked back to the dugout only to continue his single digit innings streak.

Enter de Villiers, and the face of the innings changed with regular boundaries all over the ground with all possible shots.

Unfazed by the slow start, Kohli and de Villiers started piling up runs slowly, De Villiers survived a stumping attempt by Dinesh Karthik in the ninth over.

With a partnership of 56 runs, Kohli and De Villiers scored 76 runs for Royal Challengers half way through the match.

Despite starting his innings much later than Kohli, de Villiers reached his half-century in 25 balls in the 12th over by a four off Kulkarni.

De Villiers reached 99 in the 16th over with a superb six, yet another extreme shot, coming deep off the wicket to hit a six on the on-side.

Until the fall of Kohli in the second last ball off the match, RCB did not lose a wicket after the dismissal of Gayle in the fourth over, manifesting the hard-hitting determination of the centurions in the match.

Interestingly, Kohli reached the milestone of scoring 3,000 IPL runs in this match, to join two other Royal Challengers, de Villiers and Gayle.

Except for Ravindra Jadeja who had figures of 0/34 in four overs, all the other Gujarat Lions bowlers conceeded expensive economy rates ranging between 11 to 16.66.

Left-arm spinner Shivil Kaushik had an economy rate of 16.66, Dwayne Bravo 15.33, and Dwayne Smith 13.

Though Praveen Kumar leaked 45 runs in four overs, he claimed two wickets while Kulkarni was the over bowler claim a wicket, 1/33.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bangalore 248/3 in 20 overs (Abraham de Villiers 129 not out, Virat Kohli 109; Praveen Kumar 2/45, Dhawal Kulkarni 1/33)

(IANS)

Mohali: A valiant effort from Murali Vijay went in vain as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) sneaked past Kings XI Punjab by one run in a nail-biting league encounter of the Indian Premier League at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here on Monday.

Chasing 175, Vijay led from the front with a brilliant 57-ball 89 supported by an unbeaten 34 from Marcus Stoinis, only to his team to fall short by a run.

Vijay, who opened the innings with Hashim Amla, put on 45 runs for the first wicket as the teamraced to 50 in the powerplay.

Amla, who survived a run-out scare on 19, failed to make the opportunity count as Shane Watson sent the South African packing with a short ball which he mistimed to be caught by Stuart Binny at midwicket. His 20-ball 21 included two boundaries.

Wriddhiman Saha (16), along with Vijay added 43 runs for the second wicket only to be run out by keeper Lokesh Rahul and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal then struck the very next ball to dismiss South African power-hitter David Miller, who failed to disturb the scoreboard.

Stoinis, the architect of Punjab’s previous match’s win against Delhi Daredevils, then joined the skipper, who had completed his half-century of 36 balls, and then went on a spree.

Sensing danger, RCB skipper Virat Kohli employed his old war horse Watson for another spell and the veteran Aussie responded with the much-needed wicket which proved to be the turning point.

Cramped for runs, the Tamil Nadu opener, in his attempt to break the shackles, pulled a short ball from wide of off stump only to be caught by Chahal at the square leg boundary.

Vijay, who added 51 runs with Stoinis for the fourth wicket, consumed 57 balls for his knock, which was laced with 12 boundaries and a six.

With 16 needed off the last over, South African Farhaan Behardien and Stoinis could only add 15.

For the visitors, Watson was the pick of the bowlers with two scalps while Chahal picked one.

Earlier, South African smasher A.B. de Villiers hit a crucially-timed knock of 64 runs to guide RCB to a healthy 175/6.

He was helped in his efforts by Sachin Baby (33 off 29 balls) as they added 88 runs for the fourth wicket.

Legbreak bowler K.C. Cariappa picked up two wickets at the top of the innings (2/16) to become their most successful bowler.

RCB began strongly, putting up 56 in the powerplay without losing a wicket as openers K.L.Rahul (42) and Virat Kohli (20) batted with consummate ease mixing ones and twos with boundaries to score at a fast clip.

Punjab got a chance to break the momentum early, in the third over when Kohli offered a chance after coming down the track to pacer Mohit Sharma but only managed to slice his attempt to backward point. Stoinis however made a hash of the chance.

Rahul added insult to Stoinis’ injury by thrashing three fours and a huge six of the Australian in the next over.

At 61 in seven overs, RCB looked like setting up a big score but the introduction of Cariappa halted their march. He effected a double break in his very first over, off the third and the fifth ball, to account for Rahul and Kohli, respectively.

Punjab completed a turnaround in the next over with left-arm spinner Axar Patel castling Watson (1) to reduce RCB to 67/3 in nine overs.

But De Villers along with Baby guided the team past the 100-run mark in the 14th over, while launching some free-hitting, with Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma receiving some rough treatment as he brought up his half-century in 30 balls.

Brief scores: RCB 175/6 (A.B. de Villiers 64, Sachin Baby 33, K.C. Cariappa 2/16, Sandeep Sharma 2/49) beat Kings XI Punjab 174/4 (Murali Vijay 89, Marcus Stoinis 34, Shane Watson 2/22) by 1 run.

(IANS)

Kolkata: Gujarat Lions came up with an all-round effort to outclass Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) comprehensively with five wickets and 12 balls to spare in an Indian Premier League (IPL) game at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday.

With the win, Gujarat go atop the points table with seven wins from 11 outings. Dinesh Karthik top scored for the visitors with a 29-ball 51, while Aaron Finch contributed with a quickfire 29 to their total of 164/5.

Chasing Kolkata’s 158/4, Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCulllum helped Gujarat get off to a bit of a flyer. However, the latter seemed to have edged one-through to the keeper in the second over but there was no appeal from the hosts. The partnership lasted just 5.3 overs but by then the Lions had gathered 42 runs.

Smith (27) was clean bowled by Shakib Al Hasan and then McCullum (29) after smashing Morne Morkel for a 17-run over was out caught at long on. The double blow brought a huge smile on KKR co-owner and Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan who had come in without his son AbRam.

But the innings did not show any signs of running out of steam as Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik got together to knit another brisk partnership. By the end of 10 overs the Lions were comfortably placed at 89/2.

The stand went on for a few more overs which got the Lions closer to the target. But, with 43 runs required, Raina perished trying to hook an Andre Russell delivery.

Finch who came in next did not hang around much and started clobbering the bowlers. He smashed 31 runs off the 15th and 16th over.

Though Brad Hogg got rid of Karthik in the next and Finch got run-out, it was too little too late for the men-in-purple.

Earlier in the evening, Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan’s unconquered fifth wicket stand of 134 rescued KKR after a disastrous start and helped them post a challenging total.

Hasan remained unbeaten with a 49-ball 66, while Pathan carried his bat through with a knock of 63 from 41 deliveries. For the Lions, Praveen Kumar returned figures of 2-19 on a wicket that helped him swing the leather.

Put into bat, it was Uthappa for KKR who started on the right note slamming two back-to-back boundaries of Dhawal Kulkarni. But then in the very next over, veteran pacer Pravin Kumar got rid of Gautam Gambhir and then Manish Pandey.

Barely had KKR recovered from the double jolt, Uthappa, who was looking dangerous, headed back to the dugout. Next it was Suryakumar Yadav who perished as Suresh Raina held onto an incredible slip catch.

After six overs, the Knights were tottering at 28/4.

The hosts finally got hold of some momentum as Pathan hammered Chinaman bowler Shivil Kaushik for 14 runs in the 10th over.

Though it was not easy hitting the long ball in such humid conditions, Pathan managed to pierce the gap time and again. Hasan – dropped by Pravin Tambe in the seventh over – too played his role by giving his partner much of the strike.

The Bangladesh batsman brought up his side’s hundred next in the 16th over with a monstrous six. And Pathan completed his fifty a little later.

Hasan, who had been playing second fiddle finally found his feet in the 18th over as he lofted Dwayne Bravo for two back-to-back sixes.

In the last two overs, KKR amassed 25 runs to finish on a strong note.

Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): 158/4 (Shakib Al Hasan 66, Yusuf Pathan 63; Praveen Kumar 2-19) vs Gujarat Lions: 164/5 (Dinesh Karthik 51, Aaron Finch 29)

(IANS)

Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad inflicted the third consecutive loss on Gujarat Lions with a five-wicket victory to jump to the fourth spot of the IPL at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here on Friday.

Riding on some brilliant medium pace bowling from Mustafizur Rahman (2/17) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/28), Hyderabad restricted the struggling Gujarat to a paltry 126 for 6 in the league game.

While chasing, Hyderabad opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan remained not out on 47 runs in 40 deliveries and saw the side home with five wickets and an over to spare.

With this win, Hyderabad now have five victories from eight games, whereas second-placed Gujarat have now lost four games in 10 matches. Kolkata Knight Riders lead the standings with 12 points – ahead on net run rate, while Delhi Daredevils have occupied the fourth spot with 10 points from eight matches.

After being asked to bat, Gujarat, coming off two successive defeats, faced some immaculate bowling from Bhuvneshwar and Ashish Nehra. Gujarat were off to a poor start losing the key wicket of West Indian power-hitter Dwayne Smith.

Both Bhuvneshwar and Nehra started with maiden overs from either end to stifle Gujarat’s opening duo of Smith and Brendon McCullum (7).

Feeling the heat in the third over, Smith’s attempt of a flash outside off only resulted in an outside edge to Mustafizur Rahman at short third man.

Coming at No 3, skipper Suresh Raina played some exquisite strokes off Kumar, including a six and a four off consecutive deliveries but succumbed on the last ball of the same over giving the pacer his second wicket. The left-hander’s 10-ball 20 was laced with one four and two sixes.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik looked vulnerable from the start and Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur did not lose any time to sent him back for a golden duck.

Finding no support from the other end, McCullum perished after facing 19 balls to leave the visitors reeling at 34 for 4 in the eighth over.

Australian Aaron Finch and West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo (20) then rescued the innings with a 45-run stand for the fifth wicket. But just when things started falling in line for the visitors, left-arm seamer Barinder Sran struck by removing Bravo.

Ravindra Jadeja (18) then joined Finch, who after being dropped on 31 by Warner at long off, went on to make an unbeaten 51. The left-right combo managed to take the Lions past the 100-run mark by the 18th over before Mustafizur broke the 27-run sixth wicket stand.

With the visitors tottering at 106 for 6 in the 19th over, Praveen Kumar (6) and Finch took the Lions to 126 for 6 in their stipulated 20 overs. Finch’s 42-ball knock was laced with three four and a six.

All the home bowlers maintained a tight line to restrict the flow of runs and pick wickets at regular intervals. Mustafizur and Bhuvneshwar were the pick of the bowlers taking two wickets each while Sran and Henriques chipped in with one wicket apiece.

In reply, David Warner scored a 17-ball 24 run cameo up front to get his team off to a positive start. After right-arm pacer Dhawal Kulkarni dismissed the home captain, Gujarat exerted pressure on the Hyderabad batting line-up with another couple of quick wickets.

New Zealander Kane Williamson (6)’s wicket was picked up by Praveen Kumar, while Dwayne Bravo removed Australian Moises Henriques (16) as they reduced the hosts to 55/3 in 9.2 overs.

Dhawan, who was batting on eighth in 14 deliveries, played a proactive role in driving Hyderabad towards the chase. The left-hander picked majority of his fours towards the square of the wicket and ticked ones and twos.

Meanwhile Yuvraj Singh, making his debut for the Hyderabad franchise, faltered as he was caught by Sangwan of Kulkarni. The stand between Dhawan and Yuvraj lasted for 26 runs as the hosts reached 81/4 in 14 overs.

Deepak Hooda played a useful cameo of 18 runs in 12 deliveries and when he got out – to Bravo.

Dhawan and Naman Ojha crossed their team over the line with ease as they won by five wickets.

Brief Scores: Gujarat Lions 126 for 6 (Aaron Finch 51, Suresh Raina 20, Ravindra Jadeja 18, Mustafizur 2 for 17, Bhuvneshwar 2 for 28). Sunrisers Hyderabad: 129/5 in 19 overs (Shikhar dhawan not out 47, David Warner 24; Dwayne Bravo 2/14, Dhawal Kulkarni (2/17).

(IANS)

Rajkot: Rishabh Pant (69) and Quinton de Kock (46) produced a match-winning opening stand to guide Delhi Daredevils to a convincing eight-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Tuesday.

Batting first, Gujarat posted 149/7 in 20 overs, thanks to a much-needed half-century by Dinesh Karthik (53).

In reply, riding on an impressive 115-run opening partnership by Pant and de Kock, Daredevils chased down the total comfortably posting 150/2 with 16 balls to spare.

Chasing a target of 150, Delhi got off to a rollicking start, courtesy openers Pant and de Kock.

The duo helped the team score 61 runs without losing a wicket after the completion of powerplay.

Both the left-handed batsmen, even after the fielding restrictions were over, kept on playing positively to bring up the 100-run partnership for the first wicket in the 12th over itself.

But as the duo was looking comfortable to get the team over the line without losing any wickets, the home side struck in successive overs, in the 13th and the 14th, to remove both of them.

Pant in his 40-ball innings struck nine fours and two sixes while de Kock hit four boundaries and one six.

But incoming batsmen Sanju Samson (19 not out) and J.P. Duminy (13 not out) played sensibly to ensure the team got past the victory line with ease.

For Gujarat, Ravindra Jadeja and Shivil Kaushik picked one wicket each.

Earlier, asked to bat by the visitors, Gujarat were off to a poor start, losing their top order within the first four overs.

Gujarat openers Brendon McCullum (1) and Dwayne Smith (15), who have built up an extremely successful combination, did not click for once.

Zaheer set things rolling when he dismissed McCullum after the in-form Kiwi veteran misjudged a delivery that moved in after pitching. Nadeem then claimed two wickets in the next over to hand Delhi the early advantage.

The left-armer sent back Smith with the first ball of the over when the West Indies all-rounder smashed one into the hands of Chris Morris at long-on.

The fit again Aaron Finch (5) lasted all of five balls before a poorly executed shot saw him offer an easy top edge to Rishabh Pant at short fine leg.

With the hosts struggling at 24/3, Gujarat skipper Suresh Raina (24) and Karthik set about bringing the innings back on track with a 51-run partnership.

Raina seemed to be in good touch during his 20-ball 24, even lifting Mohamed Shami over the third man boundary for a six. But he fell when stepped out to attempt another big hit off Mishra, only to miss complete as Quinton de Kock whipped off the bails.

Ravindra Jadeja (36 not out) joined Karthik in the middle and the duo kept up the good work by adding 52 runs between them off 33 deliveries. Shami brought the partnership to an end with a straight delivery when Karthik mistimed his shot as the ball clipped the top of off-stump.

James Faulkner (7) virtually gifted his wicket to Morris with some extremely poor shot selection before Jadeja and Ishan Kishan (2) added 10 runs in the last over to take the total close to the 150-run mark.

Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem was the most successful among the Delhi bowlers with figures of 2/23 in three overs.

Brief scores: Gujarat Lions 149/7 (Dinesh Karthik 53, Ravindra Jadeja 36; Shahbaz Nadeem 2/23) vs Delhi Daredevils 150/2 in 17.3 overs (Rishabh Pant 69; Ravindra Jadeja 1-21)

(IANS)

Bengaluru: Batting knights Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell won the match for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), scoring 189/5 with five balls to spare at Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Monday in the 30th match of IPL Season Nine.

Pathan (60) and Russell (39) started hitting regular boundaries for KKR halfway after the match to bring down the asking rate from 9.3 runs an over at the beginning of the chase to 47 runs in 24 balls and 21 runs in 16 balls finally after the dismissal of Russell to one run in five balls in the 20th over.

Russell blasted four sixes and a four in 24 balls to reach 39 while Pathan remained unbeaten on 60 with half a dozen fours and a three sixes.

Pathan destroyed Watson in the 17th over, he smashed two sixes, three fours and a double to heap 24 runs.

Russell and Pathan logged a 96 runs partnership in 45 balls for the sixth wicket. Pathan reached his half century in 27 balls in the 19th over.

Except for captain Gautam Gambhir (37) in the top order, other batsmen including Robin Uthappa (1), Chris Lynn (15) and Manish Pandey (8) got out cheaply.

Yuzvendra Chahal 2/27 emerged the most successful bowler for RCB, he claimed danger man Russell in the 18th over, caught near the boundary line by Stuart Binny while attempting a big six.

Shane Watson leaked 38 runs in three overs claiming just a wicket.

Earlier, RCB set a target of 186 runs for KKR, scoring 185/7 in 20 overs.

Lokesh Rahul and skipper Virat Kohli hit 52 each to propel RCB to a respectable total after swashbuckling hitter Chris Gayle (7) failed yet again.

Starting off slowly, RCB managed just two runs in the first over off Andre Russell.

Gayle launched a six off Morne Morkel in the second ball of the second over, only to get out on the next ball with a reckless shot, giving a simple catch to keeper Robin Uthappa.

With the latest dismissal, Gayle’s “unit-score innings” streak continues in the IPL from the World Twenty20.

Opening the innings for RCB, Rahul’s 32-ball-52 witnessed six fours and two sixes while Kohli managed four fours in his 44-ball-52.

AB De Villiers (4) was the other trump card which failed to make a mark for the home team.

Australian all rounder Shane Watson (34) kept the runs flowing in the last overs with five fours and a six in the company of local boy Stuart Binny (16), who cracked two sixes and a four when it mattered the most.

KKR bowlers Russell (24/1) and Morne Morkel (28/2) produced economical spells while Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav and Piyush Chawla were expensive, though the last also claimed two wickets.

Excellent performance with bat and the ball earned the man of the match award to Russell, he hit the highest number of sixes in the match.

With the latest win, KKR claimed the second spot among all teams in IPL Season Nine with 10 points, five victories and three losses in eight matches while RCB plummeted to the seventh position with just four points, two wins and five losses in seven matches.

Brief Scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders 189/5 in 20 overs (Yusuf Pathan 60, Adnre Russell 39; Yuzvendra Chahal 2/27, Sreenath Aravind 1/16) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 185/7 in 20 overs (Lokesh Rahul 52, Virat Kohli 52; Morne Morkel 2/28, Piysh Chawla 2/32).

(IANS)

Pune: Leading from the front, skipper Rohit Sharma smashed a match-winning unbeaten 85 off just 60 balls to guide defending champions Mumbai Indians to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Rising Pune Supergiants in the Maharashtra derby of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Sunday.

Batting first, Pune posted 159/5 in 20 overs, thanks to opener Saurabh Tiwary’s much-needed 57 off 45 balls.

In reply, Rohit came up with another impressive knock which included eight boundaries and three sixes, as Mumbai chased down the total posting 161/2 with nine balls to spare.

After win, Mumbai climb to second position in the points table with 10 points from nine games, having won five and lost four.

Chasing a challenging target of 160, in-form openers Rohit and Parthiv Patel got Mumbai off to a good start scoring 24 without losing any wicket in the first three overs.

But the fourth over witnessed a see-saw battle as Parthiv after striking Ashok Dinda for three consecutive boundaries eventually got a thick edge off a wide off stump delivery which was collectively well by a diving wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, leaving Mumbai at 39/1.

Despite the wicket, Rohit and incoming batsman Ambati Rayudu (22) played positively to take their team to a comfortable position.

The duo brought up 50-run partnership for the second wicket to take the team past 75-run mark in the 10th over and stay on course for a good run chase.

But as Rayudu was looking set for a big innings, the right handed-batsman gave his wicket away cheaply in the 12th over to put Pune back into the game.

But skipper Rohit played sensibly as he continued his good form in the ongoing tournament also bringing up yet another half-century in just 38 balls.

He was well supported in the other end by Jos Buttler (27 not out).

The duo batted through to ensure the visitors went past the victory line at ease.

Ashok Dinda and Ravichandran Ashwin picked one wicket each for Pune.

Earlier put into bat, Pune got off to a poor start losing opener batsman Ajinkya Rahane (4) in the second over itself with just eight runs on the board.

From there on, his opening partner Tiwary and incoming in-form batsman Steve Smith (45 off 23) held on without losing any more wickets to score at a good pace and help team reach 54/1 after completion of the powerplay.

Smith, who scored his maiden IPL ton in his last match, showed his class with the willow yet again as he used his experience to best effect to close his on another half-century.

But as he was looking set after striking four boundaries and three sixes, seamer Jasprit Bumrah bowled cleverly as the Australian edged one past him to carry it safely to wicket-keeper Patel, bringing a 84-run partnership for the second wicket to an end in the 10th over.

The home side suffered their third blow in the 13th over when Peter Handscomb (6) trying to sweep Harbhajan Singh was caught by Buttler at deep square leg, to have Pune reduced to 105/3.

Despite wickets falling at the other end, Tiwary made the most of the time spent at the crease to bring up his half-century in just 39 balls.

Following the wickets of Handscomb and Tiwary in the 18th over, skipper Dhoni (24) and Thisara Perera (12 not out) helped their team cross the 150-run mark.

Bumrah (3-29) was the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai while Harbhajan Singh and Mitchell McClenaghan claimed one wicket each.

Brief Scores: Rising Pune Supergiants 159/5 in 20 overs (Saurabh Tiwary 57; Jasprit Bumrah 3-29) vs Mumbai Indians 161/2 in 18.3 overs (Rohit Sharma 85 not out; R Ashwin 1-21)

(IANS)

Pune: Gujarat Lions rode on a collective batting effort by Dwayne Smith (63 off 37) and Brendon McCullum (43 off 22) which helped them edge past Rising Pune Supergiants by three wickets in a nail-biting Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Friday.

Batting first, Steve Smith (101 off 54) struck up his maiden IPL ton as Pune posted an impressive 195/3 in 20 overs. He was well supported by Ajinkya Rahane (53).

In reply, openers Smith and McCullum set the perfect platform as middle order batsmen delivered in bits and pieces as the visitors chased down the total posting 196/7 in 20 overs.

Chasing a challenging target of 196, hard-hitting Smith and McCullum got Gujarat off to a rollicking start scoring 72 runs without losing any wicket after completion of powerplay.

The duo put on a 93-run stand for the first wicket, before McCullum gave his wicket away trying to step up the scoring rate.

Despite losing his opening partner, Smith played his natural game by scoring runs at good pace to take his team to the 100-run mark in the ninth over itself.

As he was looking set after striking nine boundaries and one six to take the game away from the home side, Perera stuck in the 11th over to send Smith packing and have Gujarat reduced to 115/2.

Dinesh Karthik (33) too departed in the 17th over after giving good support to skipper Suresh Raina (34).

But there after wickets fell one after the other but in the end, James Faulkner (9 not out) and Praveen Kumar (0 not out) remained unbeaten to take team to victory off the last ball.

Ashok Dinda (2-40) and Thisara Perera (2-41) were the pick of the bowers for Pune.

Earlier put into bat, Pune got off to a disappointing start losing opener Saurabh Tiwary (1) in the third over itself, with Raina coming in steaming with a diving effort to run the left-hander short of the crease.

But his opening partner Rahane and incoming batsman Smith held on to not lose anymore wickets to post 48/1 after completion of powerplay.

The talented duo used their experience to best effect to sneak in with ones and twos followed by a couple of boundaries and big hits to bring up their 100-run partnership for the second wicket in the 13th over itself and help their team reach 118/1.

But the 14th over saw a twist in the game as Dwayne Bravo ran Rahane out to break the partnership and have the home side reduced to 124/2.

Smith kept on playing his natural game as he stayed on course for a superb ton in IPL.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (30 not out off 18) did what he is known for, as the right-handed batsman played a cameo in the end to power his side to a competitive total.

Bravo (1-40) was the pick of the bowlers for Gujarat.

Brief Scores: Rising Pune Supergiants 195/3 in 20 overs (Steve Smith 101, Ajinkya Rahane 53; Dwayne Bravo 1-40) vs Gujarat Lions 196/7 in 20 overs (Dwayne Smith 63; Ashok Dinda 2-40, Thisera Perera 2-41)

(IANS)