Virat Kohli compiled his 67th IPL score of 50 or more to lead the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a comfortable victory by seven-wickets victory against the Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Chandigarh on Sunday afternoon.
Clever bowling restricted the home side to a modest 157-6 and Kohli’s unbeaten 73 from 54 deliveries steered the visitors to 159-3 to claim their fifth victory of the campaign from eight matches.
Impact Player Devdutt Padikkal made an equally significant contribution to the chase with an inventive and powerful 61 from only 35 balls with five fours and four sixes before Jitesh Sharma ended the match in dazzling style by pulling seamer Nehal Wadhera over midwicket for six to conclude victory with seven balls to spare.
But RCB spinners, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, were the pick of the attack which set up victory with the left armer claiming 2-25 and leggie Suyash 2-27 in their four overs apiece. Krunal’s guile accounted for both Punjab openers after a promising, aggressive start with both Priyansh Aria (22) and Prabhsimran Singh (33 from 17 balls) miscuing drives to Aussie Tim David at long on.
Another Australian, Josh Inglis, slapped 29 from 17 balls with two fours and a six before losing his off-stump to a classic, flighted leg-break from Suyash and the Punjab innings was in tatters at 114-6 before Shashank Singh (31 from 33 balls) and Marco Jansen (25* from 20) rebuilt, albeit it modest pace, with an unbroken seventh wicket partnership of 43 in in the final six overs.
RCB joined their vanquished opponents in a four-way tie at the top of the log with five wins and 10 points from their eight matches although Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals have played one match fewer.
PUNJAB KINGS: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, Josh Inglis, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (wk), Romario Shephard, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma