RAIPUR — Virat Kohli scored a half-century to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 playoffs with a 6-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils (DD) here Sunday.
Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) spin attack upset Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), defeating them by 22 runs at Eden Gardens and earning them the fourth playoff spot.
Gujarat Lions topped the table with 18 points, followed by Bangalore (16), Hyderabad (16) and Kolkata (16).
Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers fell early in Raiour, but Kohli found an able ally in KL Rahul. They put on a crucial 66 runs for the third wicket before Rahul was dismissed.
Rahul scored 38 off 23 balls with 4 fours and 1 six, keeping up his excellent run.
The dismissal of Rahul brought in Shane Watson and he was dismissed for 14 from 18 balls, going past 5,000 runs in T20 cricket in the process.
Kohli found another partner in Stuart Binny to guide RCB to the No. 2 position and into the playoffs.
Earlier, Quinton de Kock scored a valuable 60 but received little support from the middle order as DD reached a sub-par 138-8.
Brief scores:
Delhi Daredevils 138 for 8 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 60; Yuzvendra Chahal 3 for 32, Chris Gayle 2 for 11). Royal Challengers Bangalore 139 for 4 in 18.1 overs (Virat Kohli 54 not out; Carlos Brathwaite 1 for 18).
Earlier, KKR spin attack tamed SRH by 22 runs in Kolkata.
SRH’s opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan’s fifty went in vain as KKR’s spinners demolished the opponent to secure their place in the Playoffs. Sunil Narine stood out for KKR as he picked three crucial wickets at the end of his 4 overs. He scalped skipper David Warner, Naman Ojha and Moises Henriques. Joining the league to restrict SRH was chinaman Kuldeep Yadav grabbing two wickets scalping Dhawan and Kane Williamson.
Yusuf Pathan’s blistering fifty helped KKR set up a target of 171 for 6 after being put to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Pandey and Pathan put up 85-run stand to lead KKR to this stage. It was Pathan who carried the momentum.
Brief Scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 171 for 6 in 20 overs (Manish Pandey 48, Yusuf Pathan 52 not out; Deepak Hooda 2 for 16, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2 for 31). Sunrisers Hyderabad 149 for 8 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 51, Yuvraj Singh 19; Sunil Narine 3 for 26, Kuldeep Yadav 2 for 28). — Agencies
