Opener, Karthik pilot RCB to four-wicket victory
BENGALURU: Between the last edition of the IPL and now, Virat Kohli hasn't been a regular in T20 cricket. With a T20 World Cup berth at stake, he did not fire against Chennai Super Kings in the opener.
But on Monday, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru began their home stretch of the competition, the opener signalled his return to form with a sparkling 49-ball 77 (11x4; 2x6) against Punjab Kings. Kohli laid the foundation for the 177-run chase, but RCB did not finish the four-wicket win without stretching it to the last over.
As Kohli brought up his 100th T20 half-century in 31 deliveries, there were no celebrations, instead the seasoned campaigner focused on the run chase.
Asked to bat first, Punjab were restricted to 176/6. The home team reached the target with four balls to spare. With 23 required off the last two overs, Dinesh Karthik grabbed the spotlight with an unbeaten 10-ball 28 (3x4, 2x6), including the winning four.
It was not an error-free Kohli innings with the right-hander given life on two occasions. Jonny Bairstow (first over) and Rahul Chahar (sixth) dropped the batter on 0 and 33 respectively. However, the 35-year-old looked in majestic touch. He hit eight fours in powerplay, and the runs continued to flow freely as he set up the pathway for his team's first win of the season.
But, at the other end, he was running short of partners after Faf Du Plessis, Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar and Glenn Maxwell made hasty retreats to the dugout.
With RCB needing 71 from 42, it all boiled down to Kohli and new man Anuj Rawat. But both of them fell in a matter of three balls.
1/10:Virat Kohli helps RCB beat Punjab Kings
PTI
2/10:Virat Kohli
<p>Kohli powered RCB to victory, smashing 77 with 11 fours and two sixes in a 49-ball blitz. His performance helped them chase down 177 runs with four balls to spare, bouncing back from their previous loss in the tournament opener.<br /></p>PTI
3/10:Mohammed Siraj
<p>Bengaluru chose to field first against Punjab. After Siraj dismissed Bairstow for eight runs, they continued to take regular wickets.<br /></p>PTI
4/10:Shikhar Dhawan
<p>Maxwell made a significant breakthrough by dismissing skipper Shikhar for 45 runs off 37 balls, including five fours and a six. At that point, PBKS was 98/4 in 12.1 overs.<br /></p>PTI
5/10:Curran and Jitesh
<p>Curran and Jitesh reached their 50-run partnership, taking the team to 150 runs in 17.4 overs. Dayal broke the partnership by dismissing Curran for 23 runs off 17 balls, including three fours. At that point, PBKS was 150/5 in 17.4 overs.<br /></p>AP
6/10:Shashank Singh
<p>In Joseph's last over, Shashank Singh smashed two sixes and a four. PBKS concluded their innings at 176/6, with Shashank unbeaten on 21* from eight balls, including a four and two sixes, while Harpreet Brar remained unbeaten on 2*.<br /></p>PTI
7/10:Kagiso Rabada
<p>Punjab's Kagiso Rabada made an early impact, dismissing skipper Faf du Plessis and Cameron Green, both for just three runs.<br /></p>PTI
8/10:Harpreet Brar
<p>Harpreet Brar shifted the momentum in PBKS's favor by dismissing Patidar (18) and Glenn Maxwell (3) in rapid succession.<br /></p>PTI
9/10:Virat Kohli
<p>Virat Kohli reached his 51st IPL fifty in just 31 balls. He also became the third batsman, following Chris Gayle and David Warner, to achieve 100 fifty-plus scores in T20 cricket.<br /></p>ANI
10/10:Dinesh Karthik
<p>Kohli was dismissed by fast bowler Harshal Patel in the 16th over, and shortly after, Bengaluru lost another wicket. However, Karthik (28) and impact substitute Mahipal Lomror (17) guided the team to victory with an unbeaten partnership of 48 runs off 18 balls.<br /></p>PTIBut Mahipal Lomror and Karthik joined hands to ensure Kohli's innings did not go in vain. The duo put together a match-winning 18-ball 48-run partnership. For the visitors, slow left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar's (4-0-13-2) brilliance went in vain.
Earlier, RCB's left-arm pacer of RCB Yash Dayal (1-23) led from the front while Mohammed Siraj (2-26) also delivered. Punjab skipper Shikhar Dhawan (45, 37b, 5x4, 1x6) did not inspire confidence initially as the opener failed to get going on a pitch which had some extra bounce.
It was Jitesh Sharma (27, 20b, 1x4, 2x6) and Sam Curran (23, 17b, 3x4), who brought their team back into the game with a fifth-wicket partnership of 52 runs. A late flourish by Shashank Singh (21; 8b, 1x4, 2x6), helped them put up a decent total.
