IPL 10: Punjab beat Bangalore by 8 wickets

AB de Villiers was all class and character, but Kings XI Punjab put up a galvanized show to pull off a sublime eight-wicket victory in their Indian Premier League fixture at the Holkar Stadium on Monday.

A fit again de Villiers (89 n.o.) replaced Chris Gayle, and in his quintessential manner lifted RCB, which chose to bat, from a forgettable start. With his ruthless late charge, he destroyed the figures of Kings XI Punjab bowlers, and took RCB to a respectful total of 148/4.

Still, the good work of Kings bowlers, who hunted in packs and choked runs in the middle overs, stood them in good stead. The rest was done by their batsmen, with Hashim Amla (58 not out) and captain Glenn Maxwell (43 not out), finishing the contest with a certain insouciance and with 33 balls to spare.

Both were given lifelines by RCB. Amla, when on 20, was



dropped on fine leg boundary by Billy Stanlake while Mandeep Singh dropped a sitter off Maxwell at point. He was 13 at that time. The two made the most of RCB’s generosity. There was no dearth of big strikes as both Amla and Maxwell dealt in boundaries.

The crowd, left mesmerized by de Villiers’s hitting, rooted wholeheartedly for RCB, but Kings XI never lost their focus in pursuit of the modest target. Amla with Manan Vohra raised a brisk 62 runs opening stand, before the Indian was caught plumb by Tymal Mills. Axar Patel was sent at No 3, ahead of Maxwell, but couldn’t contribute much. Yuzvendra Chahal, keeping up with his wicket-taking ability, got his bails swinging in the air. But that was all RCB could muster on the field.

Amla, who brought his half century with a pull off Watson, was not to err again. Nor did Maxwell.