Another significant knock by Chris helps Bangalore to their seventh win on the trot
Another significant knock by Chris helps Bangalore to their seventh win on the trot
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In a rain-curtailed game, Chris Gayle's 12-ball blitz of 38 runs led Royal Challengers Bangalore to their seventh consecutive win of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, all but sealing a berth in the playoffs here at Chinnaswamy Stadium last evening. With eight wins from twelve games, Bangalore also surged to top spot in the points table.
Chris Gayle scored 38 off just 12 balls to lead RCB to a four-wicket win
against KKR at M Chinnaswamy Stadium yesterday. PIC/AFP
Chasing a revised target of 102 from 13 overs, there were some anxious moments when Bangalore lost five wickets in quick succession but Gayle's customary power-hitting had done enough to clinch victory with three balls to spare.
Sizzling Gayle
When Jaidev Unadkat bowled a slower ball, Gayle shuffled a little at the crease, and whacked it through mid-wicket. When the young left-armer tried to make him reach outside off-stump, Gayle met the ball with the middle of his blade and thwarted it straight down the ground. When Gayle creamed a Brett Lee yorker through the cover region, all of Bangalore and Kolkata must have sighed: "Here we go again." Gayle, who won his fourth Man of the Match award, wasn't shy of admitting that he was 'Bangalore's saviour' since the franchise began with a fresh squad and three early losses in four games "being very frank, there's no doubt about that (on being a saviour). Definitely, my presence has played a dividend part in the team.
"The reception I got was wonderful, I was a little nervous when I got here. Once I got that first game against Kolkata out of the system, things actually progressed. We keep communicating with each other. It's a young group. We have a lot of fun both on and off the field," Gayle told reporters.
On belting Lee's yorkers to all parts of the ground, Gayle said: "When you are up against one of the fastest bowlers in the world, it's important to be ready for each ball. If he doesn't get yorkers right, it's in my favour.
He bowled a few good ones. That's the nature of the game. When he got it wrong, I was able to get on top of him."
When it started raining, the cheerleaders started running around the boundary to try and 'keep the fans entertained' that evoked a huge cheer too.
Rain pain
Resuming at 69-3 when rain interrupted play for 128 minutes, Kolkata finished at 89-4 in 13 overs. Yusuf Pathan, who top-scored with 36, was imposing himself on the game when rains came down heavily.
When play resumed, he struck Virat Kohli for a monstrous six, threatening to take KKR past the 100-run mark. However, Charl Langeveldt'su00a0final over which witnessed two runs, and four byes, swung the momentum back in Bangalore's favour.u00a0 With skipper Daniel Vettori pulling out, questions were asked about Bangalore's bowling attack prior to the game. S Aravind had come through as the dark horse before this game, Zaheer Khan was a touch expensive, Abhimanyu Mithun was inconsistent, and Langeveldt was yet to his straps.
Super skip
Eventually, the four seamers combined to do most damage. Zaheer struck early when he had Eoin Morgan fishing at one that deviated after hitting the seam.
Next over, Langaveldt had Jacques Kallis caught behind when his former Cape Town teammate attempted a customary cut shot. It was refreshing to see stand-in skipper Virat Kohli persist with a slip till the seventh over.
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