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IPL: CSK beat RCB by three wickets to reach final

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IPL

Ranchi: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) reached the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the sixth time as they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by three wickets in the qualifier 2 of the Twenty20 tournament at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium here on Friday.

Put in to bat, two-time runners-up RCB could only manage a modest total of 139/8 with left-handed opener Chris Gayle top-scoring with 41. Sarfaraz Khan also played a handy innings of 31. Left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra was the pick of the bowlers for CSK as he picked up 3/28 from his four overs.

In reply of the small target, two-time champions CSK were driven by a patient knock from veteran Michel Hussey, who scored 56 from 46 balls. The left-hander shared a useful 47-run stand with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) to help his side reach home with three wickets and a ball to spare.

With this win, CSK set up Sunday’s title clash with Mumbai Indians, who won the qualifier 1 against the same opponents on Tuesday.

Earlier, veteran pacer Nehra once again came good for CSK as he clinched 3/28 in his four overs, including the vital wickets of RCB skipper Virat Kohli (12) and explosive batsman AB de Villiers (1).

Nehra was well assisted by off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who ended with brilliant bowling figures of 4-0-13-1, scalping Mandeep Singh (4). The duo did not allow the RCB batsmen to accelerate at all.

Though left-handed opener Chris Gayle top-scored with 41, it wasn’t his usual innings as he played 43 balls and hit only two boundaries and three sixes.

Two important cameos from wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik (28) and Sarfaraz Khan (31) helped augment RCB’s total at the end, but the top order failed to make an impact when it mattered the most.

Good bowling changes and field placements by CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni also proved significant as Mohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo also clinched a wicket each to slow down the run rate and restrict RCB to 139/8.

During the chase, CSK also didn’t get a good start as their West Indian aggressive batsman Dwayne smith (17) pulled medium pacer Sreenath Aravind it to Mitchell Starc at deep square leg.

At this time, CSK were 21/1 in 3.1 overs and they could have lost their second wicket in the next delivery had Chris Gayle had not dropped Faf du Plessis, who edged to first slip in the very first ball he faced.

CSK had luck on their side on another occasion as RCB’s David Wiese induced an edge off opener Michael Hussey, who was then on 11, only for it was to be dropped by wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik.

However, du Plessis failed to grab the chance and went back to the dug-out after being bowled by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the second ball of the 10th over. The South African right-hander made 21.

Two deliveries later, Chahal gave another blow to CSK by removing Suresh Raina (0). The Indian left-hander offered a catch to Wiese at long-off to leave CSK struggling at 61/3.

However, Hussey kept the scoreboard ticking with ones, twos and odd boundaries before he played it to the hands of Harshal Patel off Wiese.

With 32 still required in 21 deliveries and skipper Dhoni not in his best of forms, it seemed RCB had a chance. But Dhoni and Pawan Negi (12 in six balls) ensured that they enter the final for the fourth time in the last five years.

Following this win, CSK proceed to the final to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday against 2013 champions Mumbai.

(IANS)

Rajasthan knocked out, RCB set up clash with CSK

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Royal-Challengers-Bangalore

Pune: An allround performance propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to an emphatic 71 run victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) eliminator as the latter crashed out of the tournament here on Wednesday.

In reply to RCB’s formidable 180/4, the Royals were bundled out for a paltry 109 in 19 overs.

RCB now play Chennai Super Kings in the qualifier 2, with the winner facing Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens in the May 24 final.

Ajinkya Rahane ploughed a lonely furrow for the Royals with a 39-ball 42, as none of the other batsmen came up with any notable contribution, as Sreenath Aravind, Harshal Patel, David Wiese and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up two wickets each for RCB.

Rajasthan were jolted early in their innings as inform batting allrounder Shane Watson (10) got out cheaply followed by the talented youngster Sanju Samson (5) who edged it to the keeper off a Harshal Patel delivery.

They could only manage to reach 40/2 in the powerplay as the willowers found it quite difficult playing the shots on the two paced strip.

Skipper Steve Smith (12), however, tried to anchor the innings but just as the Australian was getting into the groove, he lofted one straight down the throat of AB de Villiers at sweeper cover.

At the end of 10 overs, Rajasthan were reeling at 68/3.

The wickets kept on tumbling as the Royals felt the scoreboard pressure with the asking rate going up after every dot ball.

Rahane perished in the deep while Australian allrounder James Faulkner (4) was out caught and bowled by Sreenath Aravind after he managed to squeeze one up in the air off his boots.

From 55/3 in 8.1 overs, the Royals collpased to 95/8 in the 16th over, as the innings never got going.

Earlier in the day, de Villiers top scored for RCB with a 38-ball 66, while Mandeep with his unbeaten knock of 54 from 34 balls was the other major contributor as the duo put together a 113-run partnership.

Choosing to bat on a two paced wicket, RCB were off to a steady start as both openers Chris Gayle (27) and Virat Kohli cautiously negotiated the bowlers who kept hurling at an impeccable line and length.

But both Gayle and Kohli fell in quick succession and thereafter youngster Mandeep helped RCB reach 60/2 at the halfway stage after runs were down to a trickle.

However, de Villiers who had been quietly picking up the ones and twos, finally broke the shackles as he clobbered left arm spinner Ankit Sharma for 19 runs in the 15th over, in turn bringing up the 100 for his side.

Mandeep joined in the act as the duo cruised along on high gears notching 37 from the next 18 balls, which included two huge sixes from de Villiers off Chris Morris in the 18th over.

Though the South African got run out, Mandeep ensured they had a formidable total on the scoreboard.

For the Royals, Dhawal Kulkarni (2/28) was the pick of the bowlers.

(IANS)

RCB, Royals face off in IPL Eliminator

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Royal-Challengers-Bangalore

Pune: A battle royale is on the cards when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lock horns with Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Eliminator to be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association International Stadium here on Wednesday.

The team which ends up second on the day will have to bid farewell to the eighth edition of the tournament and wait for another year to campaign for the coveted trophy.

The winner will face-off against the loser of Qualifier 1 — to be played in Mumbai on Tuesday — which will be either two-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) or 2013 winners Mumbai Indians — who have had an amazing turnaround in fortunes this season.

For both RCB and the Royals, the next game would be a distant thought as first they have to outdo each other in one of the fiercest contests of this summer with both teams boasting of immense firepower.

Speaking of batting, it came to the forefront for both teams in their last encounters of the league stage where the Royals had the better of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and RCB blasted away a formidable challenge from the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The last game for the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers against the Delhi Daredevils was a washout.

Against the Knights, it was Australian all-rounder Shane Watson who stood strong for the Royals, clubbing his way to an unconquered 104 off just 59 balls while it was Kohli and burly Jamaican Chris Gayle who stole the limelight in the game against Sunrisers as the Royal Challengers chased down 81 runs in barely six overs in a rain-curtailed tie.

Getting to the playoffs has not been a cakewalk for either, with both managing to win only seven of their 14 matches apiece — and in two cases each shared the spoils in rain-marred matches.

Nonetheless, the Royals will look to do a repeat of the inaugural edition where they clinched the title when most experts had written them off while RCB will look to holding aloft the trophy for the first time.

It is hard to separate the two outfits from their head-to-head encounters with each side pocketing seven of the 15 clashes between them.

It might just require a Herculean effort from the big guns to make a difference and clinch the contest on Wednesday night. Will it be Gayle, Kohli or AB de Villiers for RCB or will Watson and Steven Smith do it for the Royals?

Given the unpredictability of this format, it might also push up an unlikely hero in the form of a bowler like Mitchell Starc or Chris Morris.

(IANS)

Rain plays spoilsport, stop last IPL tie in Bengaluru

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ipl

Bengaluru: Moderate to heavy rain stopped further play on Sunday night between hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils in the last league tie of the IPL-8 at the Chinnaswamy stadium here.

As the 30-minute moderate rain turned into a downpour after 7 p.m. and rain gods did not relent, the two umpires — Kumar Dharmasena of Sri Lanka and Krishnamachari Srinivasan of India — abandoned the match and awarded a point each to both teams.

As the downpour continued relentlessly, the umpires had no option but to call off the match.

With rainwater flooding the ground and preventing resumption of play any more, the frenzied fans who flocked to the stadium in droves for an exciting contest were left disappointed.

When the sky opened up and rain descended, RCB openers Chris Gayle and skipper Virat Kohli ran for cover after playing 1.1 overs and scoring a run each.

Earlier, with dark clouds melting and a drizzle turning into moderate to heavy rain, the umpires stopped play and ordered ground staff to cover the pitch and the open field so that play could be resumed at the earliest.

“Though the match started on time at 4 p.m. and Delhi played its stipulated 20 overs to score 185 for 5 wickets, we were hoping rain gods would spare us rest of the night so that RCB could play 20 overs in chasing the target,” a Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) official told IANS during the interruption.

But just as rain stopped after 30 minutes and ground staff removed covers to resume play at 7 p.m., the rain gods returned with vengeance to pour all over and stop resumption of play further.

With one more point from this abandoned match, RCB gathered 16 points and climbed up to the second spot to play against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the qualifier on May 19 at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, as it was ahead of Rajasthan Royals with 1.037 net run rate against its 0.062.

RCB, which was the finalist in the tournament’s 2009 and 2011 editions, will also get a second chance to enter the final in the event of losing to CSK by playing against the winner of the eliminator on May 22 at Ranchi.

(IANS)

IPL: Kohli, Gayle help RCB climb second on the table

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kohli

Hyderabad: Virat Kohli’s late blitz of 44 runs from 19 balls and Chris Gayle’s cameo helped Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in a rain-curtailed Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Friday.

Gayle smashed a 10 ball 35 and helped his side climb to second spot on the league table with 15 points from 13 games, while the Sunrisers drop to the fifth spot with 14 points from 13 matches.

Chasing a revised target of 81 runs from six over, the Challengers got over the line with a ball to spare and with six wickets in hand.

It was a tailor-made situation for the hefty Jamaican who relishes such challenges as he plundered 41 in the first two overs with Dale Steyn giving away 17 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being belted for 24 runs.

However, it was all-rounder Moises Henriques for SRH who got the hosts back into the contest as Gayle pulled one of his slower deliveries into the hands of the man at deep mid-wicket. South African skipper followed AB de Villiers fell off the very next delivery after lofting one to long on. The over produced just three as the visitors were reduced to 44/2 after three overs.

But it was Kohli who swung the pendulum in favour of RCB again belting Karn Sharma for 14 and then getting 10 of a Praveen Kumar over.

Needing 13 of the last over, it was Kohli who hit the winning runs lofting Bhuvneshwar for a straight six.

Earlier in the day, even though the hosts lost swashbuckling opener Shikhar Dhawan (8) early, David Warner and Moises Henriques kept on the pressure on the RCB bowlers clubbing them to the ropes frequently.

Yuzvendra Chahal was hit for 17 in the 5th over which brought up the team’s 50.

The next over from pacer Ashok Dinda yielded 18 runs as some wayward bowling helped Henriques put the leather into the stands.

Henriques went berserk against Harshal Patel, after being dropped in the opening delivery of the seventh over. 20 runs came off the over.

SRH reached the triple figure mark with three overs to spare as Warner kept playing second fiddle and giving the strike to his partner at the end who was having a gala time in the middle.

But Henriques soon fell after completing his half-century edging one to the wicket-keeper.

RCB pulled things back in the last few over but by then the damage had been done.

(IANS)

IPL: Punjab win rain-hit match against RCB

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KINGS-XI

Mohali: Bottom-placed Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 22 runs in a rain-curtailed Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium (PCA) here on Wednesday.

Punjab remained at the foot of the standings with six points from 13 matches despite the win. Bangalore stayed at the fifth spot with 13 points from 12 matches.

Chasing a target of 107 runs in 10 overs, RCB managed only 84 for six. They sent their two destructive batsmen West Indian Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli to open the innings.

They began briskly picking up boundaries at every possible opportunity. But Kohli (19) in the third over was dismissed in trying to force the pace.

Gayle (17) soon followed his skipper getting caught while trying a big shot to reduce RCB to 44 for two in 4.4 overs.

With two of their best ball-bashers gone, the onus was on another renowned power hitter South African AB de Villiers (10) to lead RCB’s cause. But he departed early too putting RCB in a spot of bother at 67 for three in 6.4 overs.

They never recovered from the blow lost wickets regularly to fall short of the target by 22 runs, managing only 84 for six.

Earlier, Kings XI Punjab posted 106/6 in 10 overs.

Much before both the side’s skippers could get ready for the toss, rain halted their intentions. The toss was held at 10.30 pm, three hours later then the scheduled time. It reduced the Twenty-20 match to a 10-over per side contest.

RCB skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bowl, much to the relief of the fans at the stadium.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha was promoted up the order and he opened the batting with Manan Vohra, who scored 11 in six balls.

Bengal’s right-handed batsman Saha made most of the opportunity of batting up the order, hitting 31 in just 12 balls. His knock included five fours and a six.

Australia’s World Cup hero Glenn Maxwella¿s poor form continued as he made only 10 runs.

Later, South African left-hander David Miller made 14 of four balls while skipper George Bailey and hit 13 in nine deliveries.

Young Indian all-rounder Axar Patel remained unbeaten and contributed 20 runs from 15 balls.

For the visitors, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and right-arm medium pacer Harshal Patel took two wickets each, while left-arm pacer Mictell Starc got one wicket.

(IANS)

IPL: AB, Kohli power Bangalore to 39-run win over Mumbai

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AB de Villiers

Mumbai: AB de Villiers smashed a brilliant century and skipper Virat Kohli played the perfect foil as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) outscored Mumbai Indians by 39 runs in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here on Sunday.

The win propelled RCB two places up the league ladder from sixth to fourth with 13 points in their kitty from 11 games.

In contrast, Sunrisers Hyderabad (12 from 11) dropped to the fifth place, whereas Mumbai (12 from 12) slipped to the sixth spot.

Riding on de Villiers’ (133, 59b, 19×4, 4×6) and skipper Kohli’s (82, 50b, 6×4, 4×6) unbeaten 215-run partnership for the second wicket, RCB piled up a massive 235/1.

In reply, Mumbai Indians could go only as far as 196/7 at the Wankhede stadium.

For RCB, Harshal Patel (2/34) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2/51) were the pick of the bowlers.

For Mumbai, Lendl Simmons (68 not out off 53 balls) and Kieron Pollard (49 off 24 balls) showed some intent to chase down the rival total, unleashing some big shots but the duo’s efforts were not enough.

The home side got off to a worst possible start losing opener Parthiv Patel (19) in the fourth over.

Skipper Rohit Sharma (15) after striking one boundary and a six failed to read a slower ball by Harshal Patel, thus finishing in the grip of Mandeep Singh at long on.

But wickets did not bother opener Simmons and Pollard as the West Indies pair went all out at the bowlers.

After smashing six fours and two sixes, Pollard got a top edge from his bat which was gleefully accepted by Mitchell Starc.

Hardik Pandya (8), Ambati Rayudu (14), Harbhajan Singh (3) Jagadeesha Suchith (4) all fell soon after.

Earlier opting to bat, RCB got 14 runs off the first two overs, but what followed in the third over was some real drama.

Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma dropped Chris Gayle on the fourth ball off Mitchell McClenaghan and Harbhajan Singh spilled Virat Kohli’s catch in first slip off the next ball. Gayle and Kohli were 12 and 8, respectively, when the catches were dropped.

But Gayle (13 off 12) didn’t hurt them much as Lasith Malinga in the very next over got rid of the Jamaican left-hander.

Gayle looked to slap the slower off-cutter well outside off and got another thick edge to fine leg. At that point, RCB were 20/1 in 3.1 overs.

The swashbuckling de Villers did not take much time to settle down as he unleashed his skillful shots soon after along with Kohli.

De Villiers hit the ball mercilessly, bringing up his 50 in just 29 deliveries. He went on hitting, sweeping, slogging the ball to bring up his hundred in only 47 balls.

He was well supported at the other end by Kohli who played with ease scoring his half-century in 39 balls.

This was the sixth consecutive IPL season where Kohli has scored 300-plus runs. He also completed 3,000 runs in the IPL.

(IANS)

IPL: Chris Gayle leads Kings XI rout

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Royal Challengers Bangalore's Chris Gayle celebrates after competing his 100 runs during IPL 8 match against Kings XI Punjab in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Photo: Shailendra Bhojak, PTI

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Chris Gayle celebrates after competing his 100 runs during IPL 8 match against Kings XI Punjab in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Photo: Shailendra Bhojak, PTI

Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), riding high on a hurricane century by Chris Gayle, handed out a massive 138-run defeat to a spiritless and spineless Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League match and moved into the fourth spot with their fifth win in 10 outings here on Wednesday.

It was a hiding of sorts as RCB piled up 226 for three which left visiting skipper George Bailey ruing his decision to field after winning the toss, and under pressure, the visitors collapsed to 88 in 13.4 overs as pacemen Mitchell Starc (4 for 15) and Sreenath Aravind (4 for 24) sliced through the line-up.

Gayle struck a brilliant 117 off 57 balls, with seven fours and 12 sixes.

For Kings XI Punjab, runners-up last season, but looking like ragtag team, it was their fifth consecutive defeat in 10 matches, leaving them at the bottom of the eight-team league with just four points with little hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.

RCB, with a massive total on the board, bowled well even as the Kings XI batsmen, barring Axar Patel (40 not out, 21b, 5×4, 2×6) showed little or no determination to even make a fight of it, much less win the game.

The early dismissals of openers Manan Vohra (2) who replaced Virender Sehwag, and Murali Vijay (2), took the wind out of Kings XI sails.

It was a regular procession thereafter before Axar Patel used the long handle, but to little effect as wickets fell in a heap at the other end.

RCB, thus, recorded their biggest IPL victory (in terms of runs), beating their previous best of 130-run win over Pune Warriors in 2013, at this very venue when Gayle smashed his highest T20 score of 175.

Earlier, it was all about Gayle and his 14th T20 century as he led a merciless onslaught on the Punjab bowlers who were made to look ordinary while the home batsmen rained 18 sixes and 14 boundaries on a balmy night when the rains stayed away.

The visiting attack had no answer to first Gayle, who was let off when on 27 with Bailey unable to get to a skier off Sandeep Sharma in the third over of the innings.

The lapse proved costly as Gayle showcased his brute power as well as a fine sense of timing to gallop to his century.

Spearhead Mitchell Johnson, bowling at some speed, leaked 43 runs in his four overs while left-arm spinner Axar Patel went for 51.

Only seamer Anureet Singh, though wicketless, looked the part, conceding just 25 runs in four overs.

Gayle and skipper Virat Kohli (32) laid the platform with a 119-run partnership for the first wicket in just 11.2 overs before the innovative de Villiers joined the Jamaican to heap more misery on Punjab bowlers.

Along with de Villiers, Gayle, who completed 3,000 runs in IPL, added 72 runs before offering a tame return catch to Patel.

The South African then took over and though he lost Dinesh Karthik (8), picked up some easy runs in the company of young Sarfaraz Khan (11 not out) to ensure RCB a winning total.

(IANS)

IPL: AB de Villiers, Sarfaraz Khan lift RCB to 200

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Sarfaraz Khan

Bengaluru: A half-century by old faithful AB de Villiers, followed by a cameo by 17-year old fresh face from Mumbai Sarfaraz Khan, carried Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to 200 for seven against Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League match here on Wednesday.

The efforts of South African ace de Villiers (57, 45b, 9×4, 1×6) and Khan (45 not out, 21b, 6×4, 1×6) made up for the early exits of in-form openers Chris Gayle (10) and skipper Virat Kohli (1) as Rajasthan Royals bowlers wilted under pressure, leaking 70 runs in the last five overs.

Barring Kiwi paceman Tim Southee (2 for 32), the rest of visiting bowlers appeared quite pedestrian with leg-spinner Pravin Tambe slammed for 39 runs in his three overs and left-arm seamer James Faulkner going for 26 in two.

The RCB innings was off to a sensational start with Southee dismissing openers Chris Gayle (10) and Kohli (1) in the space of eight deliveries to leave the hosts teetering on 19 for two in the third over.

Gayle blasted a four and a six off Southee who, however, sent back the big Jamaican, playing across and holing out to Hooda at mid-wicket, all this action in the first four deliveries of the match.

Southee, in his next over, inducted a nick from Kohli who was caught behind.

The early reverses did not stop de Villiers from blasting away with Mandeep Singh following suit.

So much so, Faulkner went for 14 in his first over and Tambe leaked 15 as RCB batsmen raised a gallop.

Mandeep and de Villiers put on 74 runs for the third wicket in quick time. However, Rajasthan bounced back with Stuart Binny trapping Mandeep plumb in front and then de Villiers run out attempting a sharp single as RCB slid to 124 for four in the 14th over.

Thereafter, Karthik and Khan maintain the momentum before the former was run out following a misunderstanding.

However, Khan continued his merry way, carting Tambe for 18 in the 18th over as the leg-spinner conceded 39 runs in his three overs for a disappointing performance.

(IANS)

RCB demolish Delhi Daredevils at Kotla

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RCB-IPL

by Arun Gopalakrishnan

New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowlers won their team a match for the second game in a row after they dismissed the Delhi Daredevils for a paltry total at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, RCB’s bowlers were relentless right through the innings and dismissed the hosts for 95 – the lowest total of Pepsi IPL 2015. The opening pair then knocked off the runs comfortably, taking the team home with 57 balls to spare. The 10-wicket win – as commanding as they come – propelled RCB to fourth in the points table.

Mitchell Starc struck first blood for the visitors in the first over when he dismissed Shreyas Iyer LBW. Varun Aaron conceded 21 runs in his first two overs as DD moved to 34 for one at the end of five overs. David Wiese, introduced into the attack in the sixth over, struck immediately when he had the DD skipper JP Duminy nicking one to the wicket-keeper.

Aaron returned to bowl the seventh over and struck two deadly blows by dismissing Yuvraj Singh and Angelo Mathews off consecutive deliveries. Yuvraj Singh chased a fairly wide delivery, bowled back of a length and at good pace, only for the ball to take the outside edge on the way to the keeper. Mathews was at the receiving end of a snorter; the Sri Lankan was taken by surprise at the pace and direction of the ball directed at him, was in no position to play the ball and ended up fending it to the man at short midwicket.

Opener Mayank Agarwal (27 from 34 balls) added 28 runs in the company of Kedar Jadhav, before his decision to step out against Iqbal Abdulla cost him his wicket; wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik effected the stumping with the batsman way out of the crease.

From 67 for 5 in 12.1 overs, DD collapsed to 95 all out, adding only 28 runs in the next 6.1 overs. Kedar Jadhav, who batted at six, would be top-scorer in the innings with 33. The Maharashtra batsman faced 29 balls and struck four boundaries before he holed out to Starc at midwicket. There were ten balls remaining in the allotted twenty overs when Domnic Joseph was run out by a throw from AB de Villiers.

The RCB bowlers had a field day, and barring the first two overs bowled by Varun Aaron, there was never a let up in the intensity. Starc finished as the most successful of the bowlers returning figures of three for 20, while Aaron and Wiese returned with two wickets each. Harshal Patel and Iqbal Abdulla, who bowled a maiden over too, picked up one wicket apiece.

RCB’s run-chase was a mere formality given the target they were faced with. Though the first over produced only four runs, Chris Gayle cut loose in the second over hitting Domnic Joseph for a six and two boundaries. The left-hander kept his foot on the accelerator right until the field restrictions were eased, by which time RCB had raced to 50 for no loss; Gayle had 43 runs from 27 balls at that stage, while Kohli had contributed six runs from nine balls.

Kohli joined the party when Amit Mishra was introduced into the attack in the seventh over; he hit the leg-spinner for consecutive boundaries – one inside-out shot that raced to the cover boundary, followed by a whip to the midwicket.

Gayle brought up his half-century with a slog-sweep off Imran Tahir in the eighth over and remained unbeaten on 62 (40 balls, 6 fours and 4 sixes) when Kohli struck a straight-drive to take his team past the finish line. The RCB captain remained unbeaten on 35.

Brief Scores

Delhi Daredevils 95 all out in 18.2 Overs (Kedar Jadhav 33, Mitchell Starc 3-20) lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore 99-0 in 10.3 Overs (Chris Gayle 62*, Virat Kohli 35*)

Man of the Match: Varun Aaron, for his spell of 2 for 24

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