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RCB up to second after another Kohli ton

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Royal Challengers Bangalore 211 for 3 in 15 overs (Kohli 113, Gayle 73) beat Kings XI Punjab 120 for 9 in 14 overs (Saha 24, Chahal 4-25) by 82 runs(D/L method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Play 03:58

Highlights – Kohli smashed his fourth T20 century as RCB beat Kings XI Punjab by 82 runs on DL method

Virat Kohli has been vaulting the standard of T20 batting this IPL. He was twitchy after heavy rain delayed the start of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s final league fixture at home against Kings XI Punjab by nearly two hours. Not even the apprehensions of having to bat with nine stitches on his left hand because of a split webbing could stop him from scoring his fourth century in nine innings. He also topped the IPL run charts during the course of his 50-ball 113 that powered Royal Challengers to an 82-run win via the Duckworth-Lewis method. A seventh win delivered in the most emphatic fashion helped them jump from fifth to second on the points table.

Chris Gayle was in his groove too, bashing 73 in a 147-run opening stand that floored Kings XI, who conceded 211 for 3 after opting to bowl in a 15-over shootout. Kohli was the first to reach his half-century off 28 balls when he whipped Axar Patel to long-on. Four legitimate balls later, Gayle swiped the left-arm spinner over midwicket for six and raced to his half-century off 29 balls. The two then got together to unfurl the champion jig.

Kings XI could have snapped that had Axar effected a direct hit from backward point to run Kohli out on 10. Kohli utilised the lifeline to drive the innings by middling everything: whether it was lofting a full ball inside-out over cover or carving a wide yorker in the gap between backward point and short third man. He reached his hundred off 47 balls when he whiplashed Sandeep Sharma for four between deep midwicket and long-on.

Kohli celebrated the landmark by pointing to his injured left hand repeatedly before pumping his fists. The only occasion he showed apparent discomfort was when he ran in from long-off and caught Axar for 13 in the eighth over of Kings XI’s chase.

Kohli set the tone with slapped fours of Sandeep before Gayle went 6,6,4 against Kyle Abbott in the fourth over. KC Cariappa, who replaced Anureet Singh, struggled to grip the ball, and his assortment of legbreaks, offbreaks, sliders and even a seam-up that clocked 134kph, was clouted for 55 in his three overs to leave M Vijay searching for answers.

Axar wasn’t spared either, Gayle taking him for three leg-side sixes in four balls before holing out to the same bowler at the end of the 11th over. Four balls later, Abbott had AB de Villiers dragging on for a duck. KL Rahul lent the finishing touches with a cameo laced with a de Villiers-like reverse flick after Kohli’s dismissal in the penultimate over.

S Aravind removed Kings XI’s openers early and then legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal, made light work of the middle order with career-best T20 figures of 4 for 25. Kings XI limped past 100 in the 12th over before rain returned at the end of the 14th to force an end to a lop-sided contest.

Royal Challengers are one of the three teams in the playoffs race to have a positive net rate (+0.93), and a win in their final match against Delhi Daredevils in Raipur on Sunday could confirm their place in the final four.

Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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