IPL 2016: RCB pip KXIP by one run in a thriller

Such has been the poor bowling performance of Royal Challengers Bangalore this season that they had failed to defend a total of over 170 four times prior to Match 39 of the IPL 2016 against Kings XI Punjab. On Monday, it looked like RCB bowlers would make it a fifth failed defence of such a total till the time KXIP skipper Murali Vijay was in the middle. Vijay had kept his team in the hunt with a brilliant 57-ball 89-run knock, before he perished to a Shane Watson bouncer in the 17th over.

Marcus Stoinis then got KXIP close. With 12 needed off six balls, the young Australian allrounder drilled a full delivery bowled by Chris Jordan with a powerful drive towards the cover boundary and then danced down the track to hoist one for a six. Two orthodox shots, ten runs. Six needed off three. Stoinis then tried to be cheeky and went for a scoop, Jordan bowled it wide - dot ball. Six off two and Jordan held his nerve to hand RCB a one-wicket victory that allowed his team to move to sixth in the standings.

Despite the win, RCB skipper Virat Kohli would know that his bowlers just about managed to take the team home. On a slow track a score of 175 should have been a very tough one. Shane Watson made the difference, with a terrific penultimate over in which he conceded just seven runs, and an over prior to that had Vijay caught at deep square.

KXIP were well in front at the halfway stage of the chase at 83 for 1 with Vijay on 45 and Wriddhiman Saha on 13. Legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal then had brought RCB back in to the game in the 11th over. Saha came down the track to Chahal and nearly yorked himself, as wicketkeeper KL Rahul managed to break the stumps after fumbling a straight forward take. Off the next, Chahal foxed a terribly out of form David Miller with a googly. The 11th over and the 19th were the two noteworthy overs for RCB. As it turned out, that was enough for RCB to claim their fourth win in nine matches.

For KXIP, Vijay led from the front with a stroke-filled innings that was not only eye-pleasing, but could have been something special, only if the other KXIP batsmen had rallied around their skipper. After Vijay's 89, the next best knock was Stoinis'22-ball 34. At the top, Hashim Amla scored 20 off 21. In comparison, RCB managed a collective effort with AB de Villiers' top-scoring with 64, Rahul chipping in with a quick-fire 42, Sachin Baby playing his part with 33 and Watson joining in with match-winning performance of 4-0-22-2.

Earlier, despite coasting to their second best start this season by scoring 56 for no loss in the powerplay overs, RCB found themselves in a rut in the middle overs, before de Villiers provided a late impetus to help them to a challenging total.

Coming in to bat with RCB reeling at 67 for 3 in 8.4 overs, de Villiers combined with Baby for 88 runs for the fourth wicket to help RCB to tough total on a very slow track. De Villiers contributed 61 in the partnership and even though he got out in the 18th over, Baby (33) ensured that RCB went past the 170-run mark.

Mohit Sharma (0/33) and Sandeep Sharma (2/49), who were at the receiving end of de Villiers' onslaught finished well in the death overs. KC Cariappa (2/16), Axar Patel (1/27) and Anureet Singh (0/15) did well to keep duo under check in the middle overs.

However, once he got his eyes set in, de Villiers went hammer and tongs. He went down on one knee and dispatched an attempted yorker by Sandeep for a six over wide of fine leg and then proceeded to hit the Punjab bowler for a four in the 16th over. Two more boundaries followed in Mohit's next over. A six and a four off Sandeep in the 18th helped RCB past the 150-run mark.

Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 175/6 (De Villiers 64, KL Rahul 42; Cariappa 2/16) beat Kings XI Punjab 174/4 (Vijay 89, Stoinis 34; Watson 2/22) by one run