Virat Kohli’s brilliant innings under pressure enabled Royal Challengers Bangalore to eke out a thrilling six wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL cricket tournament on Friday.
The win means that RCB has jumped to second spot in the points table, thus keeping themselves in the race for sealing the play-offs berth.
RCB have collected 15 points from 13 games while SRH are at fourth place with 14 from 13 games.
In a rain-curtailed match, RCB were required to score 81 from six overs after Sunrisers scored a competitive 135 for three riding on half-centuries from Moises Henriques (57) and David Warner (52 no).
Chris Gayle provided the ideal start, with a whirlwind knock of 35 from 10 balls. However, it was Kohli, whose 44 off 19 balls got them past finishing line as he hit a six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar to spark off wild celebrations in the RCB dug-out.
Needing 10 off last four deliveries, Kohli hot a square drive followed by a steer bisected between point and gully before finishing off with a down the ground hit.
Chasing a stiff target of 81 from 6 overs, Gayle started by carting Dale Steyn for a boundary and six off the first two deliveries while skipper Kohli also hit the South African for a boundary as first over yielded 17 runs.
With wet outfield, the ball seemed difficult to grip as Gayle got his second boundary courtesy of a leading edge that went to the boundary. He made the over a big one by collecting two sixes and a two boundaries.
It was Henriques, who got the first breakthrough for the host as he had Gayle caught at deep midwicket. AB de Villiers couldn’t even open his account as he perished while playing a big shot and was caught by Dale Steyn near the boundary ropes.
Skipper Kohli however kept RCB in the hunt as his big six off Karn Sharma off the fourth over brought the equation down to 23 off 12 balls.
The penultimate over bowled by Praveen Kumar saw him dismiss Mandeep Singh (1) off the first ball with a full toss that was hit straight down at deep square leg.
But it was Kohli again, who dispatched Praveen in to the stands, thereby bringing the equation down to 13 from last over.
Earlier, Moises Henriques' brutal assault enabled Sunrisers Hyderabad to reach a commanding 135 for three in 11 overs.
By the time, SRH innings ended, it started to rain again delaying the RCB innings further.
Henriques smashed his way to 57 off only 22 balls with help of five boundaries and four sixes adding 103 runs in only 7.1 overs in the process for the second wicket with skipper David Warner unbeaten on 52 off only 32 balls.
Captain Warner played the second fiddle yet scored his 50 off 30 balls, hitting five fours and a six. RCB's fielding was certainly below par as Henriques got a couple of lives with Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan dropping two easy catches, with his score on 26 and 46.
The match was reduced to 11 overs-a-side after heavy rainfall delayed the proceedings by two hours and 40 minutes.
With the Powerplay reduced to just three overs, skipper Warner decided to tee off with a tennis shot like boundary back past Harshal Patel for a boundary in the second over of the innings.
Shikhar Dhawan (10) was not so lucky as he pulled David Wiese for a boundary but was dismissed off the next ball trying to repeat the shot and was caught at mid-on.
Dhawan's dismissal didn't deter Warner, who hit Wiese down the ground for a boundary and then welcomed Yuzvendra Chahal with a cracking boundary through extra cover region.
Chahal's nightmarish first over continued as Moises Henriques hit him for a six and four off successive deliveries as home team raced to 50 for one from just five overs.
On 26, Henriques got a reprieve when Mandeep Singh at long-off made a complete hash off a simple catch off Patel's bowling conceding a boundary in the process. As if to add insult to the injury, Henriques steered the next ball for a boundary past Dinesh Karthik to move into the 30s.
Henriques then offered an easy catch to the young Sarfaraz Khan at point, who dropped a sitter and Bangalore were made to pay heavily for their lapses.
Hyderabad's 100 came in the eighth over and there was no looking back for the hosts as Warner also got into the act.
Henriques was dismissed in the penultimate over when he was deceived by the slower ball and was caught behind off David Wiese after a breathtaking innings of 57 from 22 balls, having hit five fours and four sixes.
Sunrisers finished on a massive 135 for three in their 11 overs with Warner finishing unbeaten on 52 from 32 balls and Eoin Morgan on 11 from seven balls.
