Rajat Patidar smashed a brilliant, unbeaten 112 to propel the Royal Challenger Bangalore to a daunting total of 207 for four and a comfortable 14-run victory in their IPL Eliminator Match against the Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday night.
The unsung 28-year-old right-hander rose to the big occasion as the stars failed with Faf du Plessis dismissed first ball, Virat Kohli limping to 25 from 24 balls and Glenn Maxwell caught in the deep for a skittish nine runs from 10 balls.
KL Rahul top-scored with 79 from 58 balls and Deepak Hooda contributed 45 from 26 balls during the run-chase but Josh Hazlewood (3-43) ended the Super Giants’ hopes with two vital wickets in the closing overs.
Patidar faced just 54 balls and lashed 12 fours and seven sixes in a stunning display of batting which included as many classic cricket shots as innovations, cover drives interspersed with ramp shots and legside flicks.
Another big name star, 36-year-old Dinesh Karthik, delivered magnificent support with 37 not out from only 23 deliveries with five fours and a six in the closing overs.
Sri Lankan seamer Dushmantha Chameera, who was selected ahead of Barbadian Jason Holder, was savaged for 54 runs from his four overs while Avesh Khan (1-44) and Ravi Bishnoi (1-45) also conceded more than ten runs per over.
The Super Giants, so long among the top two during the league phase, are now eliminated while the Royal Challengers have a second chance of reaching the final when they take on the loser of the Qualifier match, the Rajasthan Royals, who were beaten on Tuesday by the Gujarat Titans who await in the final.
LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS: Quinton de Kock (wk), KL Rahul (capt), Evin Lewis, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Manan Vohra, Marcus Stoinis, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Dushmantha Chameera, Ravi Bishnoi
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE: Faf du Plessis (capt), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj