RCB Captain Anil Kumble won the toss and elected to bat against Cape Cobras in the opening match of the Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament here today.
Jean Paul Duminy dazzled with the bat with a blistering unbeaten 99 to guide Cape Cobras to a five-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the high-scoring opening Group C match of the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament here today.
Not a single Bangalore bowler was saved from Duminy's pyrotechnics as the left-hander struck eight fours and five sixes in his scintillating 52-ball knock to power the South African side home with two balls to spare.
Apart from Duminy, Henry Davids (27 off 21) and Ryan Canning (20 off 18) were the other notable scorers for the Cobras.
Praveen Kumar was the pick of the bowlers for Bangalore, picking up three wickets for 32 runs.
Earlier, Robin Uthappa made a brisk 51 off 39 balls while Taylor scored an unbeaten 53 off 24 deliveries to help Royal Challengers post a formidable 180 on the board.
The run chase of the Cobras got off to a horrendous start as Praveen Kumar found the outside edge of Herschelle Gibbs's bat off the last ball of the opening over. Gibbs did not trouble the scorers.
Skipper Andrew Puttick became Kumar's next casualty as he found a thick edge and Virat Kohli did the rest.
Then Davids (27 off 21) and Duminy stabilised the South African side's innings with a 48-run third wicket stand before Davids fell prey to first change R Vinay Kumar, caught by Kohli just after hitting the bowler for back-to-back fours.
But Duminy used his experience to great effect and played sensibly, scoring fours and sixes when required, to keep alive the Cobras' chase.
Needing 53 off the last five overs, Ryan Canning stepped up a gear, cutting Kohli for four. Duminy finished off the over with another boundary off the last ball.
Duminy then clobbered his South Africa teammate, Roelef van der Merwe, over the long-on boundary to reduce the margin to 32 runs off 20 balls.
To the disappoinment of the Bangalore fans, skipper Anil Kumble dropped Duminy at 74 off his own bowling. The left-hander then rubbed salt into the former India captain's wound by hitting his next ball over the mid-wicket boundary.
Duminy hammered the final nail in the Royal Challengers' coffin when he hit two consecutive fours off Praveen Kumar with the Cobras needing 17 runs off nine deliveries.
The 25-year-old middle-order batsman, who plays for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, then finished off the proceedings, slaming R Vinay Kumar over wide long-on.
Earlier, electing to bat the Challengers made a cautious start and it took a smart shot from Jacques Kallis to bring up the first boundary in the second over.
But Kallis (8) couldn't stay long and perished in the very next over, edging Charl Langeveldt to Ryan Canning as the Challengers were reduced to 14 for one in three overs.
Rahul Dravid and Uthappa rode their luck to pick up 50 runs off 37 balls as the Challengers crossed the 50 mark in 7.5 overs.
Uthappa, who was dropped once at 18, made the most of the opportunity and sent the bowlers on a leather hunt.
Claude Henderson was introduced into the attack in the 10th over and Uthappa greeted him with two boundaries.
The right-hander was at his ominous best as he despatched Monde Zondeki for two sixes in the next over before Herschelle Gibbs had to pull off a blinder at point to remove him.
Uthappa struck seven fours and two sixes in his blistering knock.
The experienced Dravid made 28 off 24 balls before he was run out.
Virat Kohli played a 14-ball, 17-run innings before he was stumped by Canning off Henderson.
But Taylor had other plans as he hammered the Cobra bowlers to all parts of the ground and along with young Manish Pandey put on 65 runs for the fifth wicket in less than five overs to power Bangalore to the formidable score.
Taylor struck four boundaries and an equal number of sixes in his breezy innings while Pandey was unbeaten on a run-a-ball 10.
For the Cobras, Langeveldt, Zondeki, and Henderson picked up a wicket each.
The Squads:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Anil Kumble (capt), Manish Pandey, Jacques Kallis, Roelef van der Merwe, Rahul Dravid, Ross Taylor, Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli, Mark Boucher, Praveen Kumar, R Vinay Kumar.
Cape Cobras: Andrew Puttick (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Henry Davids, J P Duminy, Justin Ontong, Ryan Canning, Vernon Philander, Rory Kleinveldt, Claude Henderson, Monde Zondeki, Charl Langeveldt.
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