Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Punjab Kings by six runs to secure a place in the IPL knockout phase; Glenn Maxwell top-scored with 57 from 33 balls as RCB posted 164-7 before the Kings finished on 158-6 in reply, Mayank Agarwal's 57 from 42 balls coming in vain
Sunday 3 October 2021 15:34, UK
Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore clinched their place in the IPL knockout stages with a six-run win over Punjab Kings at Sharjah.
Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (57 from 33 balls) top-scored for RCB as they posted 164-7, while Moises Henriques impressed with 3-12 from his four overs for Punjab.
In reply, KL Rahul (39 from 35) and Mayank Agarwal (57 from 42) put on 91 for the first wicket but their momentum slowed once the partnership was broken, and, after three wickets for RCB leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (3-29), the Kings finished on 158-6 after leaving themselves too much to do in the last few overs.
RCB stay third but are safely through to the knockouts with a game to spare, while Punjab Kings remain fifth and must now win their final game and hope results go their way if they are to claim the last remaining play-off berth.
Having chosen to bat first, RCB were able to get through the powerplay without losing a wicket although that was more down to some generosity from the Kings than anything else.
Kohli, on nine, survived when Rahul was unable to gather the ball cleanly down the legside off Ravi Bishnoi before Devdutt Padikkal was dropped by Rahul later in the same over.
There was a second life for Kohli on 10 when he pulled a Mohammed Shami delivery to mid-wicket where Sarfaraz Khan was unable to take the chance going to his left.
The RCB captain's good fortune eventually ran out in the 10th over when a delivery from Henriques scuttled through to hit off stump as Kohli (25 from 24) tried to work it legside and Bangalore suffered another blow next ball as Dan Christian (0) was caught at backward point.
Henriques removed Padikkal (40 from 38) in his next over but Maxwell soon hit RCB out of that rocky patch, dominating a 73-run stand with AB de Villiers, hitting four sixes - two of which sailed over the roof and out of the stadium - and reaching his half-century from just 29 balls.
De Villiers threatened to get going himself as the innings reached its climax, smashing two maximums of his own, but was superbly run out by Sarfaraz in the 19th over as the Kings managed to limit the damage at the death.
Shami (3-39) had been unusually expensive but took three wickets in the 20th over, including that of Maxwell, to give Punjab a boost at the halfway stage.
The Kings' optimism could only have been increased by a strong start from their openers, ending the powerplay on 49-0 with both Rahul and Agarwal looking in fine touch.
The game turned late in the 11th over when Rahul was caught at short third man off Shahbaz Ahmed and when the horribly out-of-form Nicholas Pooran (3 from 7) fell to Chahal after a couple of quiet overs, it was suddenly Kohli's men with the momentum.
Agarwal batted on to reach his fifty from 36 balls but the fatal blow for the Kings came in the 16th over when, with the required rate climbing, the opener miscued a sweep off Chahal and was caught; the leggie then produced a beautiful delivery which ripped past the outside edge to bowl Sarfaraz three balls later.
Aiden Markram did his best to keep Punjab on track but he fell to the impressive George Garton (1-27), the English left-armer executing his slower ball superbly to have the South African caught at long on.
Leading wicket-taker in the IPL, Harshal Patel (0-27) was left with 19 to defend in the final over and while he did not add to his tally, he ran out Shahrukh Khan (16 from 11) and - barring wides or no-balls - had the game wrapped up with three balls to spare.
He completed the job and a dream finish to Kohli's captaincy before he steps down at the end of the campaign remains a possibility.
Watch Delhi Capitals take on Chennai Super Kings in a top-of-the-table clash in the IPL from 2.50pm, Monday on Sky Sports Cricket.
