Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 48 as he powered RCB to a 10-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at the Holkar Stadium, Indore. Kohli was ably supported by Parthiv Patel, who also remained unbeaten on 40. RCB winning the toss put KXIP into bat as the visitors produced a disciplined bowling performance to bundle out Kings XI for a meagre 88 in just 15.1 overs. In reply, Kohli led from the front as RCB chased down the target in 8.1 overs. During his innings, Kohli hit six fours and two sixes, while Parthiv's innings was laced with seven boundaries. Courtesy this win, RCB improved upon their net run rate and are placed seventh with 10 points, while KXIP are placed fifth with 12 points after crashing to their third successive defeat.
Sent into bat, Kings XI innings never got going as they lost wickets like pack of cards from the onset to be bowled out in 15.1 overs. Backed by some good fielding, Umesh Yadav (3/23) came up with an impressive bowling to destabilise the Kings XI innings. Besides, Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal (1/6), Colin de Grandhomme (1/8), Moeen Ali (1/13) and Mohammed Siraj (1/17) picked up a wicket each.
Buttler takes Rajasthan Royals to crucial win
Rajasthan Royals scored a seven-wicket victory and advanced their chance of progressing further in the playoff position while the defending champions Mumbai Indians were staring at a bleak times ahead. Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Buttler put on 95 runs for the second wicket, before Rahane fell for 37 off 36 balls. Rahane’s fall did not haunt Buttler and he went on clobbering Mumbai bowlers all around the park. Royals required 55 off the last six overs and there was little to worry as Buttler continued with his aggressive streak. He finished with an unbeaten 94 off 53 balls. Sanju Samson, who joined Buttler at Rahane’s fall, hit 26 off 14 balls. Earlier, Rahane who won the toss asked the hosts to take first strike and MI responded with 168/6.
Earlier, Royals scored a four wicket victory over Chennai Super kings with just one ball to spare thanks to an an unbeaten 95 by Buttler. Faced with a 177-run chase, Buttler proved to be the royal among Royals.
Chennai have one foot in playoffs
Chennai Super Kings brightened its playoffs chances with a comfortable eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. They have 16 points from 12 games and with a handsome Net Run Rate of 0.388, it shouldn’t be too difficult for MS Dhoni’s men to clinch a top-two berth as well, provided they win one more game. The loss to CSK, though, didn’t come as a disaster for SRH, who have already qualified for the last-four stage. The chief architects of CSK’s win on Sunday were openers Ambati Rayudu (100 n.o) and Shane Watson (57). On paper, 180 should have been a difficult chase against SRH, given their track record. But this CSK batting line-up cruised past the finishing line with an over to spare.
Virat, AB ensure comfortable win for Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore won by five wickets against Delhi Daredevils but the playoffs still remains an outside chance for them. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers showed what experience of dominating world cricket for years can do to a rival team. Rishabh Pant's 34-ball 61 and Abhishek Sharma's 19-ball 46 take Delhi to post a score of 181/4. All of that was to be undone by the class of Kohli’s unassuming 40-ball 70 and de Villiers’ enterprising 37-ball 72. Their 118-run partnership was screaming out the difference between experience and and row power. All of Kohli’s preceding knocks have struggled to take RCB past the finishing line. On Saturday night, he ensured RCB had this one in the bag by the time he nicked Amit Mishra to wicketkeeper Pant in the 14th over. The job was duly completed by de Villiers.
Delhi fail to cross 245
Kolkata Knight Riders batsmen did everything on Saturday right, hitting boundaries at will against Kings XI Punjab to post 245/6 runs, the fourth-highest total in IPL history. Sunil Narine laid the foundation with a 36-ball 75. Giving him company were Chris Lynn (27) and Robin Uthappa (24). Skipper Dinesh Karthik (50) and Andre Russell (30) then carried on the momentum with some audacious hitting. Chasing 245 was always a herculean task for Kings. When Punjab came out to bat, KL Rahul (66) launched a blistering attack. He again looked in golden touch, while Chris Gayle took his time. The pair was going well when Andre Russell struck twice in two balls. Once Rahul was dismissed, Kings XI were out of the contest, though they managed to cross the 200-run mark, posting 214/8.
Dhawan, Williamson shine for Sunrisers
It was a night when Shikhar Dhawan’s elegance trumped over Rishabh Pant’s power. Chasing 188, Sunrisers hyderabad opener Shikhar Dhawan rose to the challenge put forth by Delhi Daredevils’ precocious Pant and led his team into the 2018 playoffs with an emphatic nine-wicket win with seven balls to spare. Daredevils’ hopes of progressing in the tournament ended with their eighth loss in 11 games. Dhawan (92*) turned things around in style when his side needed it the most after the onslaught from his Delhi Ranji teammate Pant who hammered 128 not out off just 68 balls in a total of 188 runs. The IPL 2018 table-toppers reached the target with captain Kane Williamson (83*) adding a sixth half-century for the season. The duo compiled an unbeaten 176-run stand in 17 overs, never breaking sweat and just playing conventional strokes. They used the pace offered by the fast bowlers and used their power and reach to clobber spinners Amit Mishra and Shahbaz Nadeem for sixes.
Crucial win for MI over KKR
Mumbai Indians scored an impressive win over Kolkata Knight Riders as they notched up their eighth consecutive win, second in last three days, against them by 102 runs at the Eden Gardens. KKR’s meek surrender saw them slip out of the top-four position on the points table as MI not only caught up with them at 10 points from 11 matches but the huge margin of victory also helped them rise to fourth. It was Ishan Kishan (62) who took the match away from KKR. The KKR pacers haven’t fared well in the powerplay. For the first time this season, the script unfolded differently as MI plundered 75 runs between the 10th and 15th overs thanks Ishan Kishan. The visitors made a sedate start before it rained sixes and fours courtesy Ishan’s bat as MI finished on a hefty 210 runs. KKR were never in the game as they lost wickets at regular intervals to be reduced to 67 for six inside the first 10 overs. The hosts, for the first time in this IPL, were bowled out, for 108 runs in 18.1overs.
Rajasthan Royals score crucial win
Rajasthan Royals scored a crucial win over Kings XI Punjab to keep their faint hopes of qualifying for the IPL playoffs alive. Punjab, who were asked to chase 159, lost wickets at regular intervals to finish at 143 for 7 to lose the game by 15 runs. In-form batsman KL Rahul waged a lone furrow for Punjab with a valiant and unbeaten 95 (70 balls). But he was left to do too much towards the end as the asking rate kept mounting. Marcus Stoinis was the only other Punjab batsman to reach double fugures as the Royals bowling pack rose to the occasion to throttle the opponents. Earlier, Jos Buttler cracked 82 from 58 balls as Royals reached a below-par 158 for 8 in 20 overs, after being 96 for 2 at the end of 12 overs.
