Royals set 212 target for Kings in 15 overs

Peaking at the right time, hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Wednesday night set 212 target for underdogs Kings XI Punjab in 15 overs in a rain-marred truncated league tie of the IPL-9 at the Chinnaswamy stadium here.

Put to bat by Kings XI skipper Murali Vijay, who opted to field despite winning the toss, RCB piled up a whopping 211 runs for three wickets in 15 overs.

Skipper Virat Kohli set a new record by scoring his fourth century (113 in 50 balls) in this IPL season and Chris Gayle returned to form to hit 73 in 32 balls with 8 sixes and 4 fours.

Gayle and Kolhi were also involved in a record 147-run partnership for the first wicket in 67 balls, by hitting all over the ground at will from the first over, treating a packed stadium of 25,000 frezined fans with mighty sixes and massive fours.

Desperate efforts by Vijay to break the partnership or get either of them out early failed as Kolhi and Gayle were in full cry and batted with disdain.

While the first 50 came in 4.4 overs of the six-over power play, the first 100 of RCB's innings came in 8.5 overs.

Though Vijay used as many as five bowlers to contain the openers, there was no respite for Kings till Gayle got caught by David Miller of Arshad Patel ball in 11 over when RCB score was147 on the board.

After in-form AB de Villiers was bowled for a duck in 12th over, keeper K.L Rahul joined Kohli to take the score to 199 when the skipper was caught by Miller off Sandeep Sharma ball at 113 comprising 8 sixes and 12 fours in just 50 balls.

Rahul and Kohli were involved in a 45-run third wicket partnership in 15 balls.

Rahul remained till the end at 16 not out.

Patel, Sharma and Abbot shared one wicket each of RCB's batters.

--IANS

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