AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli hit 238 runs between them to steer the Royal Challengers Bangalore to a massive 144-run win.
The Challengers finished with a record victory over the Lions, who only managed 104 runs before their final wicket fell after 18.4 overs. The home side had everything to play for, as a loss would have all but eliminated them from playoff contention.
Chris Gayle and Kohli opened the batting for the home side, with Gayle only hitting six runs off 13 balls before Dhawal Kulkarni bowled him. Kohli held on for 109 runs as De Villiers joined him, before being caught out impressively by Dwayne Bravo. Man of the match De Villiers hit 129 not out off 52 balls as the Challengers reached 248/3 by the end of their 20 overs.
Kohli and De Villiers are only the second pair to both score centuries in a T20 match. They scored a total of 15 fours and 20 sixes between them as they sent the Lions fielders all over the pitch in desperate defense.
Aaron Finch produced the highest score for the visitors, hitting 37 off 38 balls. Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith opended the batting and managed 18 runs, with Smith walking for just seven, McCullum 11. Ravindra Jadeja strode to the crease, and managed to rack up 21 runs off 19 balls before being caught by Chris Jordan. Dinesh Karthik followed with only two runs before he was sent to the dugout after De Villiers took a decent catch. The rest simply had too much to do, as Jordan picked up figures of 4-11.
The Challengers’ emphatic win ensures they remain in the running for the playoffs.
Photo: BCCI
