Press Trust of India
Bangalore, May 6: Opener Chris Gayle (117, 57b, 7×4, 12×6) bludgeoned his way to an astonishing century as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) hammered Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by 138 runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here Wednesday. Punjab paid a heavy price for dropping Gayle twice, on 27 and 53, as the left-handed Caribbean went on to hit his fifth IPL century and led his side to a mammoth 226 for three.
It was a humongous task for a demoralised Punjab to chase such a total and they capitulated under pressure. All they managed was just 88 in 13.4 overs. It was the second biggest win in IPL history by run-margin, only behind Kolkata Knight Riders’s 140-run victory over RCB in the 2008 edition.
Left-arm pacer Sreenath Aravind (4/27) rocked the Punjab top and middle-order while Mitchell Starc (4/15) polished off the lower-order. Punjab batsmen inexplicably surrendered without any fight and were reduced to 34 for five in six over, with no chance of redeeming themselves. At 49 for eight, Punjab were staring at the lowest total of the tournament (58 by Rajasthan Royals in 2009). But Axar Patel (40 n o, 21b, 5×4, 2×6) saved them the blushes with a fighting innings.
Earlier with skipper Virat Kohli (32, 30b, 3×4, 1×6), Gayle shared a 119-run stand in just 11.2 overs and later with AB de Villiers (47 n o, 24b, 3×4, 4×6) he raised a 71-run second wicket partnership. Only Anureet Singh (0/25) managed respectable figures for Punjab.
The Gayle carnage began in the second over of the match when Australian paceman Johnson was taken for 20 runs in that over with two sixes and two fours. The burly Caribbean was in full flow and next to bear the brunt of his fury was Sandeep Sharma, who conceded 23 runs in the next over.
Despite being denied a six off Anureet Singh when the ball on his shot touched the cable of the spider cam, Gayle completed his half-century off just 22 balls. He also completed 3000 runs in IPL with a single off Anureet in the eighth over.
Brief Scores
RCB 226 for three (Chris Gayle 117, Ab de Villiers 47 n o) beat KXIP 88 (Axar Patel 40 n o; Mitchell Starc 4/15, Sreenath Aravind 4/27) by 138 runs.
