Virat’s RCB live to fight another day
DOMINANT Royal Challengers openers Kohli and Parthiv seal 10wicket win after Umesh Yadav’s triple strike bowls out Kings XI for a paltry 88
INDORE : Umesh Yadav’s threewicket haul backed by a solid show from spinners helped Royal Challengers Bangalore pummel Kings XI Punjab by 10 wickets in an Indian Premier League match at the Holkar Cricket Stadium here on Monday.
RCB captain Virat Kohli made the perfect call to field after winning the toss as his bowlers hardly put a foot wrong on a wicket that had seen 459 runs being scored a couple of days back. The hosts were bundled out for 88 and RCB, led by openers Parthiv Patel and Kohli, sealed the deal with 71 balls to spare.
The win helped the visitors keep their hopes alive for a spot in the playoffs. For KXIP, this was their fifth loss in the last six games. They have two more matches left and need to win both to book a place in the last four.
Chris Gayle got a lifeline in the very first over of the innings when wicketkeeper Patel dropped him off Umesh. It did help KXIP’s cause to an extent as Gayle and KL Rahul once again guided them get to a good start.
In the second over, Rahul, KXIP’s highest run-scorer (558) this season, pulled a short delivery off Tim Southee over square leg for his first six of the night. Next over, the Karnataka batsman dispatched another short delivery, this time off Umesh, over wide fine leg for a maximum.
But Rahul’s cameo didn’t last long as he was caught at backward square leg by Colin de Grandhomme off the bowling of Umesh after scoring 21.
Three balls later, Gayle (18),
who had hit three consecutive boundaries off Tim Southee in the fourth over, became Umesh’s second victim.
Karun Nair (1) also fell in the last over of powerplay. It was a short-of-a-length delivery from pacer Mohammed Siraj, the KXIP No.3 looked to work it towards third man, instead found Kohli at first slip. Within the first six overs, KXIP’s top three run-scorers this year were back in the hut.
KXIP couldn’t even complete their quota of overs. This was their lowest total at the venue and their joint second lowest in the tournament’s history.
In reply, Kohli (48 not out) and Patel (40 not out) made short work of the chase as RCB registered their fifth win in the tournament.