| 0.0 : The resurgence has begun for Bangalore, they have now won two on the trot but they need to keep that going, a slip-up is not what they can afford now. They are up against a scratchy Punjab side who will be willing to get back to winning ways. Also, a win here will see them break into the top 4. The hosts are favorites heading into the contest and they would want to give Moeen Ali, who is playing his last game this season, a fitting farewell. Will they do so or will Punjab take revenge for the la |
| TOSS - Up goes the coin and it lands in the favor of the visitors. Punjab elect to field first. |
| Punjab skipper, Ravichandran Ashwin starts by informing they have two changes as Sam Curran sits out for Nicholas Pooran and Ankit Rajpoot comes back in for Harpreet Brar. States they back their spinners in home games as the ground is big but here they will need to use the Indian seamers. Further adds they have strengthened their batting for this match. Ends by saying they want to enjoy and admits it is not easy to win against Bangalore here. |
| Bangalore skipper, Virat Kohli, says they lost the toss in the last game, they almost lost the game as well but still won in the end. Mentions they are looking for another solid performance and are hoping to put up a good score on the board and win tonight. States they are not thinking about the playoffs, they are only thinking about enjoying themselves which is evident in the last 4 games. Further adds they do believe in themselves and they are now able to execute the plans they make. Informs t |
| Punjab (Playing XI) - Lokesh Rahul(WK), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, David Miller, Mandeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran (IN FOR SAM CURRAN), Ravichandran Ashwin(C), Hardus Viljoen, Murugan Ashwin, Ankit Rajpoot (IN FOR HARPREET BRAR), Mohammed Shami. |
| Bangalore (Playing XI) - Parthiv Patel(WK), Virat Kohli(C), AB de Villiers, Marcus Stoinis, Akshdeep Nath, Moeen Ali, Washington Sundar (IN FOR PAWAN NEGI), Tim Southee (IN FOR DALE STEYN), Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal. |
| Pitch report - Irfan Pathan says it is a good pitch and there is good grass covering on it. Mentions there might be some swing first up but the pitch should be a good one to bat. |
| We are all set for the action to begin! The Punjab players are in a huddle and in a meantime, the Bangalore openers, Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli walk out to the middle. The visitors now follow them. The left-hander will be on strike and he will face Ankit Rajpoot who has the new ball in hand. Here we go... |
| 0.1 : A Rajpoot to P Patel, Some swing first up! Rajpoot bowls it very full and it tails back in from outside off. Patel drives it crisply but finds cover. |
| 0.2 : A Rajpoot to P Patel, FOUR! Slashes and that has flown away! Bangalore are underway in style. Length and width on offer outside off, Patel pounces on it. He hits it through point and the ball races away. |
| 0.3 : A Rajpoot to P Patel, FOUR! Take that, says Parthiv Patel. Consecutive boundaries and this is even better than the first one. Rajpoot bowls this just behind a driving length on off. Patel smashes over the non-striker's head, through mid off and the ball races away to the fence. |
| 0.4 : A Rajpoot to P Patel, A leg bye! That could have easily been the third boundary. It was on the pads, Patel looks to flick but misses. The ball hits his pads and rolls towards square leg. Rajpoot is appealing but he is the only one doing so. The batter takes a leg bye. |
| 0.5 : A Rajpoot to V Kohli, Kohli too is underway now! Rajpoot bowls it in the channel where Kohli is a little shaky at the start of his innings. Full and outside off, Kohli this time manages to drive it through point for a couple. |
| 0.6 : A Rajpoot to V Kohli, A single to end and Bangalore are off to a flier! 12 from the first over. Kohli keeps strike as he works it towards square leg. |
| Mohammed Shami to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : M Shami to V Kohli, DROPPED! Hardus Viljoen has dropped Virat Kohli and that is a sitter, an absolute sitter. You should be catching those. Not the best of deliveries though from Shami. He bowls it on the pads. Kohli flicks it right off the middle but uppishly and straight to mid-wicket. Viljoen there spills it. Shami is not happy and rightly so. This could prove very, very costly. |
| 1.2 : M Shami to V Kohli, FOUR! Rubbing salt to the wound! Dropped on the last ball and now a cracking boundary. Full and on off, Kohli stands tall and guides it through point. No stopping those. |
| 1.3 : M Shami to V Kohli, FOUR! Consecutive boundaries for Kohli now. This is just elegant. Not a very bad delivery. It is just behind a length around off, Kohli shuffles across and then just pushes it through extra cover. Once you beat the in-field the ball races away here. |
| 1.4 : M Shami to V Kohli, Shami finally holds Virat back. A back of a length delivery on off, Kohli pushes it to deep cover for a run. |
| 1.5 : M Shami to P Patel, FOUR! Bangalore are dealing in boundaries here! Easy pickings this for Parthiv. It is bowled on the pads, he uses his wrists and flicks it fine on the leg side. Third boundary in the over. |
| 1.6 : M Shami to P Patel, Wide! Shami bowls this outside the leg stump line. Parthiv looks for a flick but misses. The umpire signals wide. |
| M Shami to P Patel, A length delivery on leg, Parthiv Patel attempts a flick again. The ball hits him on his thigh pad and he runs for a single. Leg bye given by the umpire. 15 runs from the over. |
| 2.1 : A Rajpoot to P Patel, Rajpoot bowls this at 120.6 kmph. Partiv looks for a heave above mid on but mistimes it. It goes on a bounce to the mid on fielder. |
| 2.2 : A Rajpoot to P Patel, FOUR! In the gap and a one-bounce boundary. Parthiv has scored all his runs in boundaries so far. This is slightly short and on the body, he swivels and pulls it uppishly but away from fine leg. |
| 2.3 : A Rajpoot to P Patel, NO BALL! Rajpoot has overstepped! He bowls it wide outside off, Parthiv throws his bat at it but misses. Time for a Free Hit. |
| Free Hit coming up! |
| A Rajpoot to P Patel, NO BALL AGAIN! This is just poor from Rajpoot. No balls at this level are just criminal! The slower one outside off, Parthiv looks to go over covers but misses. Free Hit continues. |
| A Rajpoot to P Patel, TIMBER! But it is a Free Hit. Patel fails to take toll of that. A low full toss outside off, Patel throws his bat at it but gets an inside edge onto the stumps. The ball rolls on the leg side and a run is taken. |
| 2.4 : A Rajpoot to V Kohli, Another single as Kohli works this towards mid on. |
| 2.5 : A Rajpoot to P Patel, A rare dot! A good delivery this. It is a yorker on off, Patel jams it out towards point. |
| 2.6 : A Rajpoot to P Patel, Well, two dots in a row and Rajpoot manages to end it well. Despite bowling two no balls, the over went for only 8. An off-pace delivery outside off, Patel throws the kitchen sink at it but misses. |
| 3.1 : M Shami to V Kohli, OUT! In the air... taken! Stunned silence here in the stadium as Kohli is walking back. Hardus Viljoen will be a relieved man as the dropped catch has not cost a lot. Shami gets his man. He bowls it on a length and around off. Kohli looks to go over covers but the bat shakes in his hand. He mistimes it towards cover where Mandeep Singh takes a dolly. A much-needed wicket for the visitors. The high-flying opening partnership has been cut short. Now Punjab will look to pul |
| 0.0 : AB de Villiers walks out to bat. |
| 3.2 : M Shami to de Villiers, Almost chops it on! It so easily could have been two-in-two for Punjab. This is slightly short and outside off, not a lot of width on offer. De Villiers goes for the cut but the shot was not on. He gets an underedge which goes close past the off pole and on the bounce to the keeper. |
| 3.3 : M Shami to de Villiers, A good length delivery in Shami this time outside off. AB lets it go. |
| 3.4 : M Shami to de Villiers, Shami bowls this short. De Villiers pulls it towards the mid-wicket region for a single. |
| 3.5 : M Shami to P Patel, A length delivery on off, Parthiv swing his bat for a drive but gets an outside edge. The ball goes to the third man region. Single taken. |
| 3.6 : M Shami to de Villiers, Shami bowls this on length on off, de Villiers looks for a drive but gets an inside edge onto the pads and runs for a single. |
| 4.1 : A Rajpoot to de Villiers, On the fuller side on off, de Villiers drives it nicely but finds the man at mid off. |
| 4.2 : A Rajpoot to de Villiers, FOUR! Not middled but a boundary! Short and it skids through. De Villiers looks to pull but does not get it off the middle and it races to the mid-wicket fence. |
| 4.3 : A Rajpoot to de Villiers, Three now! Should not have been three runs though. Rajpoot bowls it full and on off, de Villiers drives it towards cover. There are two fielders after the ball. One from the left and the other from the right. The man in the former position dives but fails to stop it cleanly. He deflects it past the fielder coming in from the right. He though does well to hare after it and save a run for his side. |
| 4.4 : A Rajpoot to P Patel, SIX! All the way! What a shot! Slower one and on a fuller length, Patel picks it and sends it sailing over the long off fence. First of the game. |
| 4.5 : A Rajpoot to P Patel, A good comeback by Rajpoot. A length delivery outside off, Parthiv hungry for more boundaries tries to cut it but fails to connect. |
| 4.6 : A Rajpoot to P Patel, A great delivery to end the over. Rajpoot shoots a yorker on the off stump. Parthiv digs it to the off side for a run. 14 runs from the over. |
| 5.1 : M Shami to P Patel, FOUR! Up and over! Ideal start to the 6th over. Length and around off, Patel stands still and powers it over the fielder at mid off. |
| 5.2 : M Shami to P Patel, FOUR! A freebie, a full toss and Parthiv ensures he puts it away. It is outside off, Patel opens the face of the bat and hits it over point for a boundary. Consecutive ones. Patel wants a no ball but the umpire says it is fine. |
| 5.3 : M Shami to P Patel, Changes the pace and bowls the slower one. Patel looks to go over the leg side but mistimes it towards mid-wicket. |
| 5.4 : M Shami to P Patel, FOUR! Not learning, are the Punjab pacers here. They are offering width to Parthiv and he is loving it. Once again, he eases it over covers and with no fielder in the deep, it is a certain boundary. |
| 5.5 : M Shami to P Patel, SIX! 4,4,0,4,6! Parthiv is in some touch here. Another excellent shot. Shami rolls his arm over and bowls it on the stumps. Parthiv plays the pick up shot and sends it sailing over the mid-wicket fence. |
| 5.6 : M Shami to P Patel, A dot to end but 18 from the last over of the Powerplay. Bangalore are 70 for 1 after it. They are off to a rocketing start. The last ball is a length ball around off, PP opens the face and guides it to short third man. |
| Murugan Ashwin is on now! |
| 6.1 : M Ashwin to de Villiers, Murugan Ashwin starts with a short delivery on off, ABD on his back foot cuts it towards the cover region for a single. |
| 6.2 : M Ashwin to P Patel, OUT! Leading edge and taken! The bowling change has worked wonders. Parthiv can't believe it as he stands there in disbelief. He does not want to go but has to. An important wicket as Patel was looking very dangerous. The googly does the trick for Murugan. He bowls it on the leg stump, Parthiv looks to play against the turn. The ball grips and spins away. A leading edge is induced which balloons to Ashwin at covers. He makes no mistake. Again. Again. Parthiv rockets off |
| STRATEGIC BREAK. 38 balls, 71 runs. 38 balls, 2 wickets. How do you view it? Punjab will be worried with the run rate but they also know that they are one wicket away from stifling the home side. AB de Villiers is new to the crease and might struggle against spin. Moeen Ali is the new man in. |
| 6.3 : M Ashwin to M Ali, EDGY FOUR! Poor captaincy to be honest, a new batsman, you should surely have a slip in place. There isn't and Ali benefits. This is tossed up outside off. Ali looks to drive it through the off side but the ball flies through the vacant first slip region and for a boundary. |
| 6.4 : M Ashwin to M Ali, A quicker one outside off, Ali tries to guide it towards the third man but decides not to and lets it go. |
| 6.5 : M Ashwin to M Ali, A tossed up delivery on leg, Ali plays it towards the cover region. |
| 6.6 : M Ashwin to M Ali, A back of a length delivery on off, batsman keeps it away. |
| Ravichandran Ashwin is on now! |
| 7.1 : R Ashwin to de Villiers, Tossed up on off, de Villiers pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 7.2 : R Ashwin to de Villiers, On the shorter side and outside off, de Villiers hits it through covers and takes one. |
| 7.3 : R Ashwin to M Ali, OUT! BOWLED 'EM! Ravichandran Ashwin strikes now. The Ashwins are turning the game on its head. All of a sudden, Bangalore are in a spot of bother. Top nut this. It is the straighter one which drifts nicely into the batsman from outside off. Moeen looks to push it away but leaves a big gap between bat and pad. The ball sneaks through and hits the stumps behind. Ashwin is pumped up as he has got the in-form Moeen Ali. Does not make an impact in his last game of this editio |
| Akshdeep Nath is the new man in. |
| 7.4 : R Ashwin to A Nath, On the stumps, Nath keeps it out. |
| 7.5 : R Ashwin to A Nath, Ashwin bowls this outside off, Nath gets on his back foot to play it but fails to make any connection with the ball. |
| 7.6 : R Ashwin to A Nath, A floated delivery on off, Akshdeep drives it towards the mid on region for a run. Another successful over for the visitors. Just the two runs and a wicket from it. |
| Hardus Viljoen is on now! |
| 8.1 : H Viljoen to A Nath, A fuller length delivery on off, Nath drives it towards the mid on region for a single. |
| 8.2 : H Viljoen to de Villiers, A back of length delivery on off, AB guides it towards the third man region for a run. |
| 8.3 : H Viljoen to A Nath, Hardus bowls this off, Nath plays it towards the cover region. Single taken. |
| 8.4 : H Viljoen to de Villiers, A length delivery on off, ABD drives it to mid off for a single. |
| 8.5 : H Viljoen to A Nath, Hardus bowls this short outside off, Nath looks for a pull but fails to get any connection with the ball. |
| 8.6 : H Viljoen to A Nath, OUT! Another one bites the dust! Bangalore seem to have lost their way completely. Another bowling change and another wicket. It looks to be the slower one which does the trick for him but the speed gun reads 134.7 KPH. It is just behind a length. Nath is way too early in his drive but the ball holds on the pitch. He ends up chipping it to covers where Mandeep Singh takes another catch. Bangalore have slipped from 71 for 1 to 81 for 4. Just the 11 runs and three wickets |
| Marcus Stoinis is the new man in. |
| 9.1 : R Ashwin to de Villiers, A back of a length delivery on off, ABD cuts it to point for a single. |
| 9.2 : R Ashwin to M Stoinis, A floated delivery on off, Stoinis plays it back to the bowler. |
| 9.3 : R Ashwin to M Stoinis, Ashwin bowls this short of a length on off, Marcus plays it towards the point region. |
| 9.4 : R Ashwin to M Stoinis, A back of a length delivery on off, Stoinis defends it from his back foot. |
| 9.5 : R Ashwin to M Stoinis, Shorter delivery by Ashwin, Marcus punches it to the off side for a single. |
| 9.6 : R Ashwin to de Villiers, A short of a good length delivery on off, ABD rocks back and cuts it towards the point region for a single. Singles is what the two batsmen will be looking for, for the new few overs as the quick wickets has forced them to re-build now. Another top over from Ashwin. Just the three from it. |
| Murugan Ashwin is back! |
| 10.1 : M Ashwin to de Villiers, Gives it nice amount of flight and bowls it on off, de Villiers strokes it down to long off for a single. |
| 10.2 : M Ashwin to M Stoinis, Very full again, the turn is out of contention so Stoinis easily strokes it down to long off and takes one. |
| 10.3 : M Ashwin to de Villiers, The leg spinner this time, ABD plays it against the turn through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 10.4 : M Ashwin to M Stoinis, Looks to play the paddle, he though gets into position way too early. Murugan bowls it outside off, Stoinis misses and gets hit on the pads. A muted appeal but the impact is way outside off. |
| 10.5 : M Ashwin to M Stoinis, A short delivery by Murugun, Stoinis plays it towards the cover region for a single. |
| 10.6 : M Ashwin to de Villiers, A flighted delivery on off, de Villiers pushes it to deep cover for an easy single. |
| 11.1 : R Ashwin to de Villiers, A nice tossed up delivery on off, de Villiers flicks it towards the mid-wicket region for a single. |
| 11.2 : R Ashwin to M Stoinis, Ashwin bowls this flat, Stoinis gets on his back foot and plays it away. |
| 11.3 : R Ashwin to M Stoinis, Shorter delivery by Ashwin, Stionis punches it for a single. |
| 11.4 : R Ashwin to de Villiers, A short delivery outside off, de Villers guides it towards the third man region for a single. |
| 11.5 : R Ashwin to M Stoinis, Ashwin bowls this short on middle and leg, Stoinis flicks it to the leg side. Single taken. |
| 11.6 : R Ashwin to de Villiers, A short delivery this time by Ashwin. De Villiers wrists it towards the mid-wicket region and runs for a single. |
| Hardus Viljoen is back! |
| 12.1 : H Viljoen to de Villiers, On the fuller side, ABD pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 12.2 : H Viljoen to de Villiers, This is full again and on the pads, de Villiers works it towards Chris at mid-wicket. A single. |
| 12.3 : H Viljoen to M Stoinis, Full on leg, Stoinis looks for a flick but fails to get a bat on it and the ball hits his pads. The ball is gathered by the keeper. A leg bye taken. |
| 12.4 : H Viljoen to de Villiers, A short delivery on leg, AB pulls it towards the fine leg region for a single. |
| 12.5 : H Viljoen to M Stoinis, A back of a length delivery on off, Stoinis defends it. |
| 12.6 : H Viljoen to M Stoinis, Good running! The weight on the shot was perfect! Back of a length on middle, Stoinis, with soft hands, works it through mid-wicket. They run the first one hard and then go for the second. They complete it with ease. |
| Murugan Ashwin is back into the attack. |
| 13.1 : M Ashwin to de Villiers, A rippa there! Murugan tosses this up on off, it is just behind a driving length. De Villiers looks to drive it straight but the ball rips away, takes the outside edge, hits the trailing leg of Pooran and goes towards short third man. A single taken. |
| 13.2 : M Ashwin to M Stoinis, A short delivery on off, Stoinis plays it towards the point region. Mayank Agarwal dives to his right to save runs. |
| 13.3 : M Ashwin to M Stoinis, A flatter delivery on off, Marcus guides it towards the point region for a single. |
| 13.4 : M Ashwin to de Villiers, A flighted delivery on off, AB drives it towards the cover region for a single. |
| 13.5 : M Ashwin to M Stoinis, SIX! A welcome biggie for the hosts. First boundary after 43 balls. This is right in Stoinis' zone. Full and on off, he lofts it with ease over the long off fence. Bangalore would hope, this would break the shackles! |
| 13.6 : M Ashwin to M Stoinis, Murugan bowls this on leg, Stoinis flicks it towards the fine leg region for a run. And will keep the strike. |
| SECOND STRATEGIC BREAK. 70/1 in the Powerplay. 39/3 in the next 8. Bangalore have been brought down crashing to the earth by the Punjab spinners. The pitch has aided turn but the bowling has been smart as well. AB de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis have no choice but to play cautiously but one suspects the big hitting might start in an over or two. The hosts can still get to 170, even 180, if ABD stays for long. Plus, the visitors have only 2 overs of spin left. Ankit Rajpoot returns. 3-0-33-0 so fa |
| Now then, not seen this happening a lot. The batsman's ready, the fielders are ready, even the bowler is ready but where is the ball? Nobody knows where it is and there is a halt in play. Ok. Umpire Shamshuddin has it in his pocket! He smiles. He did not realize... |
| 14.1 : A Rajpoot to M Stoinis, Rajpoot bowls this short on off, Stoinis taps it on the off side and runs for a single. |
| 14.2 : A Rajpoot to de Villiers, FOUR! Too easy for de Villiers. It is short and sits up to be hit. De Villiers goes back and pulls it with ease, over mid-wicket. No fielder in the deep so it is a certain boundary. |
| 14.3 : A Rajpoot to de Villiers, SIX! 10 from two! De Villiers has decided to step on the gas here. But poor bowling this by Rajpoot. It is a nothing delivery, it is short and on middle, once again it comes at a good height for de Villiers. He goes back and deposits it over the mid-wicket fence. This could turn out to be a very expensive over. 11 from the first three balls. |
| 14.4 : A Rajpoot to de Villiers, A length delivery outside off, ABD cuts it to deep cover and runs for a single. |
| 14.5 : A Rajpoot to M Stoinis, Rajpoot bowls this at 110 kmph, Marcus flicks it towards the square leg region for a single. |
| 14.6 : A Rajpoot to de Villiers, A great delivery to end the spell. But night Rajpoot would like to forget. He bowls this yorker straight on the middle stumps, ABD manages to keep it away. Rajpoot went for a thrashing today, ending his day at office with figures of 4-0-46-0. |
| 15.1 : M Ashwin to M Stoinis, Flatter and on middle, it straightens a touch. Stoinis goes back and keeps it out. |
| 15.2 : M Ashwin to M Stoinis, Gives it a little more air on the pads, MS strokes it down to long on for a single. |
| 15.3 : M Ashwin to de Villiers, A flighted delivery on leg, de Villiers flicks it towards the square leg region and runs for a double. |
| 15.4 : M Ashwin to de Villiers, SIX! Half-tracker and ABD takes full toll of it. It is short and outside off, de Villiers goes back and pulls it with ease over the mid-wicket fence. The 50-run stand is also up, an important one as Bangalore were in a spot of bother when the two joined association. They need to finish well here though. |
| 15.5 : M Ashwin to de Villiers, A nice tossed up delivery on off, ABD slaps it to covers and rotates the strike. |
| 15.6 : M Ashwin to M Stoinis, A flatter delivery by Murugan, Stoinis plays it to covers and taken a run. Ashwin in the position gives a shy at the stumps on the non-striker's end but misses, almost hits the umpire. |
| Ravichandran Ashwin to bowl out now! |
| 16.1 : R Ashwin to M Stoinis, Fires it on middle, Stoinis pushes it down to long on for a run. |
| 16.2 : R Ashwin to de Villiers, Shorter and on off, AB de Villiers looks to go over covers but ends up hitting it a little too square. Just a single. |
| 16.3 : R Ashwin to M Stoinis, Ashwin bowls this one way outside off, Stoinis hits it through cover-point. Two taken. |
| 16.4 : R Ashwin to M Stoinis, A good flighted delivery on off, Stoinis blocks it. |
| 16.5 : R Ashwin to M Stoinis, Ashwin bowls this short and Marcus plays it towards the mid on region for a single. |
| 16.6 : R Ashwin to de Villiers, A flighted delivery outside off, ABD looks for a reverse sweep but misses it. A great stuff from the Punjab skipper. He ends with 4-0-15-1. |
| Hardus Viljoen is back! |
| 17.1 : H Viljoen to M Stoinis, Length and it is slightly slower in pace. Stoinis hits it down to long on for a single. Singles are something Punjab won't mind. |
| 17.2 : H Viljoen to de Villiers, FOUR! Got it wrong there did Viljoen. He goes for the yorker but ends up bowling a full toss on the pads. De Villiers works it fine on the leg side and a boundary. Also, the 50 is up for ABD. His 33rd in this league and 4th in the last 6 innings. He needs to be there till the end though if Bangalore are to get to a big total. |
| 17.3 : H Viljoen to de Villiers, SIX! That is HUGE! Viljoen once again misses the yorker by a just and is hit in the stands. Full and on middle, it is right in the zone. De Villiers hits it over the long on fence. 11 from the first three balls. Can this over be a 20-run over? |
| 17.4 : H Viljoen to de Villiers, WIDE! Pressure, pressure getting to the bowler. He bowls it full and wide outside off, de Villiers does go after it but misses. Wided. |
| H Viljoen to de Villiers, Another wide! Viljoen tries to stay away from de Villiers' hitting zone. He ends up bowling it outside the tramline. |
| H Viljoen to de Villiers, A low full toss, not a lot you can do with that. De Villiers works it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 17.5 : H Viljoen to M Stoinis, Bends his back on this one and bowls it short and outside off, Stoinis looks to pull but is done in by the pace there. |
| 17.6 : H Viljoen to M Stoinis, A couple to end! A long over comes to an end and 16 comes from it. Viljoen bowls it full and wide outside off, Stoinis reaches out for it, it goes off the toe end and through backward point for a couple. |
| Mohammed Shami to bowl his last over. |
| 18.1 : M Shami to de Villiers, A good start from Shami, bowls this outside off. ABD looks for a cut but misses it and so does the keeper to gather it, the ball hits his pads and diverts towards the fine leg region. A bye taken. |
| 18.2 : M Shami to M Stoinis, A short delivery on middle and leg, Stoinis fails to connect his cut. Another fumble from the keeper results in a bye. |
| 18.3 : M Shami to de Villiers, SIX! This is why the bye should not have been given. It brings ABD on strike and smashes it out of the park. Slower ball and outside off, de Villiers waits for it and lofts it over the long off fence for a biggie. |
| 18.4 : M Shami to de Villiers, SIX! Consecutive biggies! AB de Villiers is on a roll. Shami goes even wider outside off and it is the slower one. De Villiers once again picks it and sends it sailing over the long off fence. |
| 18.5 : M Shami to de Villiers, SIX! That is a no look pull shot onto the roof of the stadium. WOW! Only AB de Villiers can pull this off. A high full toss on the body, de Villiers is surprised by it. He takes his eyes off the ball and then goes for the pull. He does connect and it clears the backward square leg fence with ease. Three in three. How costly is that bye. Can he now make it 4 in 4? |
| 18.6 : M Shami to de Villiers, No he can't! Just a single from the last ball. 21 from the penultimate over. Now 200 looks a possibility. This is bowled on the pads. ABD swings but misses. The ball hits the pads and rolls towards short third man. A leg bye taken. |
| 19.1 : H Viljoen to de Villiers, SIX! BANG! Dealing in biggies is de Villiers. Once again right in the zone for him. Full and on off, he hoicks it with ease over the wide long on fence. |
| 19.2 : H Viljoen to de Villiers, A single now! Punjab will be relieved, ABD is off strike. Changes his length does Hardus and bowls it short. De Villiers looks to pull but it goes off the inner half towards square leg. They take one, the fielder does has a shy but misses. |
| 19.3 : H Viljoen to M Stoinis, FOUR! Stoinis now gets into the act! Yes, it is a gift but it still has to be put away. Full toss on the pads, Stoinis flicks it through backward square leg and the ball races away. |
| 19.4 : H Viljoen to M Stoinis, SIX! BOOM! 190 up with two balls to go! In the slot again by Hardus. Full and outside off, Stoinis powers it over the long on fence. |
| 19.5 : H Viljoen to M Stoinis, FOUR! A full toss. This is pressure, just pressure. Hardus is just not able to execute the yorkers. He ends up bowling another full toss, it is down the leg side. Stoinis helps it on its way to the fine leg fence. |
| 19.6 : H Viljoen to M Stoinis, SIX! Ends the innings in style! 27 from the last over. Another slot delivery, full and on off, Stoinis slams it over the long on fence. BANGALORE END WITH 202 ON THE BOARD! |
| WHAT A FINISH TO THE INNINGS! 64 in the last 3 overs and Bangalore have powered themselves to a mammoth score here. Take a bow, AB de Villiers, take a bow, Marcus Stoinis. They have ensured, it is Bangalore who are the happier side at the break. |
| After the hosts were inserted, their openers got them off to a flying start. Kohli did depart but Parthiv continued. However, the game changed after the Powerplay. The visitors managed to pick three quick wickets and put Bangalore on the back foot. AB de Villiers and Stoinis though, played themselves in, got a hang of the pace of the wicket and then when it mattered, took the bowlers to the cleaners. ABD finished 18 short of a ton and Marcus Stoinis 4 short of a half ton but the 121-run stand in |
| The Punjab pacers had a night to forget. Every pace bowler had an economy of above 10. Had it not been for the Ashwins, Punjab could have well been chasing something over 230. The two spinners combined finished with figures of 8-0-46-2. |
| Now then, 203 is the target! A big task awaits the Punjab batters. They have the batting to chase this down but they need a special effort from either of Gayle or Rahul. Will they do so and break into the top 4 or will Bangalore will make it 3 in 3? Stay tuned to find out, till then AB de Villiers is caught downstairs for an interview. |
| AB de Villiers is down for a chat with Pommie Mbangwa. The South African superstar says that it was hard work. Hence, he tried to knuckle down and at that stage, when Bangalore were collapsing post the Powerplay, AB felt that 160 was competitive. But then, he says that at the Chinnaswamy, any6thing os p;ossible in the final few overs if you spend some time at the crease. Says that the ball is skidding onto the bat a bit but holding up as well. On the chat during his partnership with Stoinis, de |
| 0.0 : The players are back in the middle. Virat Kohli is giving a pep talk to his players. Now, two destructive openers stride out to the middle - Chris Gayle and KL Rahul. Tim Southee to start off proceedings with the new ball, to Rahul. Here we go... |
| 0.1 : Tim Southee to L Rahul, Starts with a inswinging ball on the pads, Rahul flicks it towards mid-wicket and gets the run chase off the mark with a single. |
| 0.2 : Tim Southee to C Gayle, Southee goes for the yorker on off, it comes as a very low full toss, Gayle cannot do much but play it to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 0.3 : Tim Southee to C Gayle, Wide! Southee misses his line and bowls it wide outside off. It is on the wrong side of the tramline and wide signalled. |
| Tim Southee to C Gayle, FOUR! Gayle is off the mark and in some style. Full outside off, Gayle takes full toll of it and smacks it over covers for the first boundary of the innings. |
| 0.4 : Tim Southee to C Gayle, Back of a length ball outside off, Gayle goes for the pull but misses. |
| 0.5 : Tim Southee to C Gayle, FOUR! Deft touch from Gayle. The previous boundary was power this is just placement. Good length ball outside off, Gayle just runs it down towards the vacant third man region for a boundary. Expensive start for Southee so far. |
| 0.6 : Tim Southee to C Gayle, FOUR! Finishes the over with another boundary. An expensive start for Bangalore. 14 runs off the first over. Fuller ball around off, Gayle stays on his back foot and hits it over point for a boundary. |
| Who will bowl from the other end? A spinner? A pacer? The latter. Umesh Yadav to share the new-ball attack. |
| 1.1 : U Yadav to L Rahul, WIDE. Down the leg side, Rahul misses his flick. |
| U Yadav to L Rahul, FOUR! Helped on its way! A short ball, on middle, Rahul gets across and plays a Nataraja pull over mid-wicket! |
| 1.2 : U Yadav to L Rahul, FOUR! Too full and punished again! Umesh goes full which is okay - but the line is down the leg side. Flicked with ease through mid-wicket again. |
| 1.3 : U Yadav to L Rahul, Better this. Good length ball on middle. It is close to Rahul's body. He cannot do much but just block it. |
| 1.4 : U Yadav to L Rahul, Good length ball on the body of Rahul, he just tucks it to the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 1.5 : U Yadav to L Rahul, Away swinger now. Length ball outside off, Rahul goes for the cover drive but gets beaten by the swing. |
| 1.6 : U Yadav to L Rahul, Good fielding! Good length ball outside off, Rahul hits it towards cover. AB de Villiers dives to his left and saves runs for his side. 9 off Umesh's first. 23 off the first two for Punjab. |
| Navdeep Saini is on now! |
| 2.1 : N Saini to C Gayle, FOUR! Not the start Saini would have wanted. He starts with a back of a length ball on off and middle. Gayle flat-bats it over mid on for a boundary. |
| 2.2 : N Saini to C Gayle, Back of a length ball outside off, Gayle looks to pull it but misses. |
| Change of bat for Gayle! |
| 2.3 : N Saini to C Gayle, Good length ball on the pads, Gayle flicks it towards square leg and calls for the run. Rahul looks for two as the fielder from fine leg comes to gather it but Gayle was not too keen and sends him back. |
| 2.4 : N Saini to L Rahul, FOUR! Class written all over that shot! Length ball on off, Rahul gets on top of the ball and drives it gloriously through covers for a boundary. |
| 2.5 : N Saini to L Rahul, FOUR! This time Rahul shows his aggressive approach. Fuller on off, Rahul smokes it over extra cover and the ball goes to the fence on a bounce. |
| 2.6 : N Saini to L Rahul, Back of a length ball on the stumps, Rahul after hitting two consecutive boundaries shows his calmness and blocks it to see off the over. |
| 3.1 : U Yadav to C Gayle, SIX! If you serve a full toss at a comfortable height, then expect to be punished severely from Gayle. Full toss on off, Gayle smokes it over the long on fence for a maximum. |
| 3.2 : U Yadav to C Gayle, OUT! Umesh Yadav has the last laugh and the big Jamaican holes out. Back of a length ball on off, Gayle looks to pull it over the fence but he does not time it well. The ball goes high in the air and straight to long on. AB de Villiers there who has had a great game so far takes a good catch in front of the ropes. Huge wicket for Bangalore, Gayle was looking very dangerous out in the middle and Kohli is ecstatic and why won't he be? He knows how crucial this wicket is fo |
| Mayank Agarwal is the new man in. |
| 3.3 : U Yadav to M Agarwal, Around middle, worked wide of mid-wicket for a quick single. Agarwal is off the mark immediately. |
| 3.4 : U Yadav to L Rahul, Wide! Umesh Yadav misses his line and bowls it down the leg side. Rahul looks to flick but misses. Parthiv does well diving to his left and collecting the ball. |
| U Yadav to L Rahul, Good length ball on off, Rahul defends it with soft hands and looks for a single but Mayank sends him back. The fielder fails to gather the ball cleanly allowing Rahul to get back in comfortably. |
| 3.5 : U Yadav to L Rahul, FOUR! Rahul shows his class with this wonderful flick. Full on the pads, Rahul nonchalantly flicks it over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 3.6 : U Yadav to L Rahul, Good length ball around off, Rahul punches it but straight to the man at cover. |
| Tim Southee is back. 1-0-14-0 so far. |
| 4.1 : Tim Southee to M Agarwal, Outside off, punched straight to cover. |
| 4.2 : Tim Southee to M Agarwal, FOUR! Lovely shot. A length ball, around middle, Agarwal gets forward and works it uppishly through mid-wicket. The ball races away. |
| 4.3 : Tim Southee to M Agarwal, FOUR! Nope. This is not the Tim Southee we know. Looks like Indian pitches have made him a different Timothy. This is full and down the leg side, Agarwal just tickles it to the fine leg fence. |
| 4.4 : Tim Southee to M Agarwal, Around off, solidly defended this time. |
| 4.5 : Tim Southee to M Agarwal, A length ball, around off and middle, Mayank backs away and looks to slash but misses. |
| 4.6 : Tim Southee to M Agarwal, The batsman has punched the ball off the back foot. Apart from the two boundaries, a decent over from Southee. |
| Yuzvendra Chahal to roll his arm over now. |
| 5.1 : Y Chahal to L Rahul, Chahal starts with a tossed up delivery on middle and leg, Rahul calmly blocks it off his front foot. |
| 5.2 : Y Chahal to L Rahul, SIX! No calm on this one and Rahul goes after the leggie in his very second ball. Flighted on middle and leg, Rahul comes dow the track and heaves it over long on fence for a maximum. |
| 5.3 : Y Chahal to L Rahul, FOUR! Follows it up with a wonderful cut. Pressure on Chahal. Shorter outside off, Rahul picks the length early and cuts it through covers for a boundary. |
| 5.4 : Y Chahal to L Rahul, Good comeback from Chahal. He floats this on off, Rahul goes for the sweep but misses and gets hit on the pads. Chahal appeals but the umpire indicates an inside edge. |
| 5.5 : Y Chahal to L Rahul, Shorter on off, Rahul nudges it to long off and takes a run. |
| 5.6 : Y Chahal to M Agarwal, Flatter outside off, Mayank taps it down to third man and keeps the strike. 12 off Chahal's first to end the Powerplay for Punjab on 68/1. |
| STRATEGIC BREAK. Not a bad response from Punjab. 68/1 in the Powerplay chasing 203. Bangalore were 70/1 at this stage and it was from this time that they began to lose their way. The visitors might be mindful of that. Dew could be a key factor. Navdeep Saini returns. 1-0-13-0 so far. |
| 6.1 : N Saini to M Agarwal, Peach, absolutely peach of a delivery. Good length ball outside off. The ball hits the deck and comes in, Mayank looks to defend but misses it and the ball just about misses his outside edge. |
| 6.2 : N Saini to M Agarwal, FOUR! Peach of a ball followed by an excellent shot. Nothing wrong with the delivery but Mayank was just too good on this occasion. Good length ball on off, Mayank gets on top of the bounce and drives it through covers for a boundary. |
| 6.3 : N Saini to M Agarwal, Back of a length ball outside off, Mayank has a slash at it the ball goes off the outside edge towards third man for a single. |
| 6.4 : N Saini to L Rahul, FOUR! The form Rahul is in it is very difficult to bowl to him. Fuller delivery outside off, Rahul just opens the face of the bat in the last moment and helps it down to the vacant third man region for a boundary. |
| 6.5 : N Saini to L Rahul, Good length ball on off, Rahul taps it towards point and looks for a single but Mayank sends him back. Marcus Stoinis there hits the stumps at the striker's end but Rahul was comfortably in. He in fact looks for the overthrow but square leg backs up quickly. |
| 6.6 : N Saini to L Rahul, Fuller on the stumps, Rahul blocks it confidently. |
| Marcus Stoinis comes on to bowl now. |
| 7.1 : M Stoinis to M Agarwal, On middle and leg, Mayank plays it across the line towards mid-wicket and gets a single. |
| 7.2 : M Stoinis to L Rahul, Good length ball on the leg stump, Rahul comes down the track and milks it to long on and rotates the strike. |
| 7.3 : M Stoinis to M Agarwal, Full on the pads, Mayank flicks it but finds the man at mid-wicket. |
| 7.4 : M Stoinis to M Agarwal, FOUR! Its the local boy who has hit the boundary but there is stunned silence here in the stadium as the local lad is playing for Punjab. An attempted bouncer from Stoinis, Mayank gets on top of it and pulls it through square leg for a boundary. |
| 7.5 : M Stoinis to M Agarwal, Now smartly follows the boundary with a single. On the pads, Mayank flicks it to the on side and rotates the strike. |
| 7.6 : M Stoinis to L Rahul, Good length ball on the pads, Rahul flicks it towards square leg, Umesh Yadav comes running in from mid-wicket and stops the ball from going to the fence with a dive. The batsmen come back for the second. A good effort from Umesh Yadav saving two runs for his side. |
| Yuzvendra Chahal is back! |
| 8.1 : Y Chahal to M Agarwal, Tossed up on middle, worked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 8.2 : Y Chahal to L Rahul, Another flick, another run. |
| 8.3 : Y Chahal to M Agarwal, SIX! Just over. A good way to get the 50-run stand between the two. Floated outside off, Mayank flat-bats it just over long off. Navdeep Saini jumps and stretches his hand but cannot get to it. |
| 8.4 : Y Chahal to M Agarwal, On the pads, Mayank flicks it to the on side and gets a couple. |
| 8.5 : Y Chahal to M Agarwal, FOUR! 100 comes up for Punjab and they are cruising along in this run chase. Short from Chahal, Mayank rocks onto his back foot and pulls it wide of deep mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 8.6 : Y Chahal to M Agarwal, Flighted on middle and leg, Mayank strokes it to long on and keeps the strike. |
| 9.1 : M Stoinis to M Agarwal, OUT! Stoinis does the trick and another start from Mayank ends abruptly. It is against the run of play but might just inject some much-needed energy in the Bangalore players. Good length delivery on off, Mayank goes for the pull does not time it. It was not short enough to pull and he hits it towards mid-wicket. Yuzvendra Chahal falls in front and takes a good catch. |
| 0.0 : Killer Miller walks in at number 4, replacing Agarwal. |
| 9.2 : M Stoinis to D Miller, On a length around off, Miller walks into the shot and pushes it towards point. |
| 9.3 : M Stoinis to D Miller, Around middle and leg, again David walks down the track and works it towards deep mid-wicket for a single. Gets off the mark. |
| 9.4 : M Stoinis to L Rahul, Almost a run out. Good length ball on the pads, Rahul tucks it towards mid-wicket and gets on his bike for a quick single. Chahal there gets to the ball and has a shy at the bowler's end but he misses his shy. |
| 9.5 : M Stoinis to D Miller, Length ball on off, Miller strokes it to point and rotates the strike. |
| 9.6 : M Stoinis to L Rahul, Single to end the over. Good length ball around off, Rahul hits it towards point and keeps the strike. |
| Moeen Ali to bowl now. |
| 10.1 : M Ali to L Rahul, OUT! Caught! Moeen strikes first ball! Full and outside off, Rahul looks to go after the offie straightaway but cannot get to the pitch of the ball. Mistimes his shot and it is a simple catch to Tim Southee at long off. Another start wasted by Rahul. |
| 0.0 : Nicholas Pooran walks in at number 5, replacing Rahul. |
| 10.2 : M Ali to N Pooran, Outside off, pushed through mid off for a single. |
| 10.3 : M Ali to D Miller, Outside off, pushed to the off side. |
| 10.4 : M Ali to D Miller, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. |
| 10.5 : M Ali to D Miller, Full and outside off, driven through mid off for a run. |
| 10.6 : M Ali to N Pooran, Outside off, punched off the back foot for one more. |
| 7th bowler inserted. Washington Sundar to bowl now. |
| 11.1 : W Sundar to N Pooran, Outside off, Pooran looks to punch but mistimes it. |
| 11.2 : W Sundar to N Pooran, Short ball, down the leg side, Nicholas looks to pull but misses again and wears it on his pads. |
| 11.3 : W Sundar to N Pooran, Around middle and leg, worked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 11.4 : W Sundar to D Miller, Down the leg side again, Miller looks to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 11.5 : W Sundar to D Miller, Down the leg side, worked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 11.6 : W Sundar to N Pooran, ALMOST A RETURN CATCH! Full and around off, Pooran goes back to punch it but cannot quite get hold of it. That is good for him. Because the ball lobs up back. Sundar tries to dive forward and catch but cannot get there. |
| 12.1 : M Ali to D Miller, Comes down the track and drives it down the ground for a single. |
| 12.2 : M Ali to N Pooran, Backs away and drives it to widish long off for a run. |
| 12.3 : M Ali to D Miller, Outside off, punched off the back foot for one. |
| 12.4 : M Ali to N Pooran, Comes down the track and has a wild heave. The ball goes off the inside edge through mid-wicket. Another single. |
| 12.5 : M Ali to D Miller, Full on middle, pushed through mid on for a run. |
| 12.6 : M Ali to N Pooran, Full and outside off, hammered over the bowler for a single down the ground. |
| 13.1 : W Sundar to N Pooran, SIX! SMOKED! A boundary after 25 balls. Full and outside off, Pooran backs away to the leg side and sends this sailing over long off for half a dozen! |
| 13.2 : W Sundar to N Pooran, SIX! And again! Fractionally short outside off, Pooran backs away once more and punches this over long off! 74 more needed from 40 balls now. |
| 13.3 : W Sundar to N Pooran, Outside off, punched away straight to cover. |
| 13.4 : W Sundar to N Pooran, SIX! Third one in the over! Full and outside off, Pooran shimmies down the track a touch and sends this flying over long off once more! 69 more needed from 38 deliveries. |
| 13.5 : W Sundar to N Pooran, Nicely tossed up outside off, but with pace. Nicholas looks to swing hard but is beaten. |
| 13.6 : W Sundar to N Pooran, Outside off, punched through the covers for a single. 19 from the over - has it tilted the balance back in Punjab's favour? |
| Navdeep Saini is back on. 2-0-22-0 so far. |
| 14.1 : N Saini to N Pooran, Full and outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| 0.0 : A four or a six? Pooran has smoked one through the off side and the umpires are checking whether the ball bounced before the ropes... |
| 14.2 : N Saini to N Pooran, FOUR! SPANKED! This is an unbelievable shot from the Trinidadian. A length ball outside off, Pooran backs away and slaps it over cover. The ball travels at the rate of knotts and almost hits the ropes on the full. The umpires take it upstairs and replays show that the ball just bounced in front. |
| 14.3 : N Saini to N Pooran, A short ball, NP looks to pull but gets a top edge which barely carries to even mid on, which is anyways vacant. A single taken. |
| 14.4 : N Saini to D Miller, Excellent stop from Yuzvendra Chahal! Outside off, Miller punches it through the covers. The ball races away but so does Chahal who races to his left and dives to stop the ball. Two runs taken. |
| 14.5 : N Saini to D Miller, Down the leg side, DM looks to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 14.6 : N Saini to D Miller, Flicks it away for a run. |
| STRATEGIC TIME-OUT. 60 needed from the last 5 overs. Whose side are you on? The fielding side would have to take a back seat at this stage. Unless we can get a miracle. There is still Mandeep to come. Here comes Moeen Ali once again. 2-0-9-1 so far. |
| 15.1 : M Ali to D Miller, Fired down the leg side, Miller looks to sweep but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 15.2 : M Ali to D Miller, Outside off, punched down to long off for a single. |
| 15.3 : M Ali to N Pooran, SIX! TALE THAT! Pooran is broadcasting a show of his own tonight. His 4th six already! Fired in outside off, Nicholas backs away and sends this sailing over long off! |
| 15.4 : M Ali to N Pooran, Full and outside off, NP lets it go, expecting it to be wided but it isn't as the ball is well inside the guidelines. |
| 15.5 : M Ali to N Pooran, SIX! Another one into the stands! A short ball, around middle, Pooran backs away and sends this flying over long on! That also brings up the 50 run stand between the two. They have looked good out in the middle, especially Pooran. |
| 15.6 : M Ali to N Pooran, Outside off, Pooran looks to cut but misses. 13 from the over. |
| Tim Southee returns. 2-0-22-0 so far. |
| 16.1 : Tim Southee to D Miller, FOUR! Off the edge! Outside off, on a length, Miller looks to punch but the ball angles away, takes the outside edge and goes through the vacant slip cordon to the third man fence! |
| 16.2 : Tim Southee to D Miller, FOUR! THRASH! Banged in short, Miller pulls it with disdain over mid-wicket for a boundary! 39 more needed from 22 balls and Virat Kohli is beginning to look pensive... |
| 16.3 : Tim Southee to D Miller, Outside off, pushed through the covers for a single. |
| 16.4 : Tim Southee to N Pooran, ON THE HELMET! Something flies off as well. But Pooran seems to be fine as Southee checks on him. A short ball, around leg, Nicholas looks to pull but misses. The ball is too quick for him and hits him on the grille and goes to short fine leg. A run taken. Must have been a top edge since no leg bye was signalled. |
| 16.5 : Tim Southee to D Miller, Outside off, on a length, Miller slashes hard but misses. |
| 16.6 : Tim Southee to D Miller, On middle, pushed through mid on for one more. 11 from this over, 24 off the last 2. |
| Umesh Yadav back into the attack. |
| 17.1 : U Yadav to D Miller, Around middle, pushed to the off side for a quick single. |
| 17.2 : U Yadav to N Pooran, Backs away to the leg side and swings hard, does Pooran but mistimes it over the bowler. Just a single to long off. |
| 17.3 : U Yadav to D Miller, Full and around off, Miller swings hard but the ball scoots off the inner half towards mid-wicket. A run taken. |
| 17.4 : U Yadav to N Pooran, DROPPED! Has Stoinis put the match down? A short ball, outside off, slower in pace, Pooran swings hard, looking to pull but is done in by the lack of pace. The ball goes high in the air and Marcus Stoinis at long on steadies himself under it. However, he plonks it at the last moment. |
| 17.5 : U Yadav to D Miller, WIDE. Pressure and frustration. Full and outside off, David lets it pass. |
| U Yadav to D Miller, The batsman has punched that ball through the off side. One run added to the total. |
| 17.6 : U Yadav to N Pooran, A slower ball, outside off, 120.4 kph, Nicholas gets a long way across and slashes, only to miss. Does not get a wide either, as he was moving across. Sensational over from Umesh. 6 runs from it. Imagine what might have happened had he got the wicket of Pooran... |
| Navdeep Saini to bowl the penultimate over. 30 runs needed off 12 balls. |
| 18.1 : N Saini to D Miller, OUT! AB takes a stunner and the crowd finds its voice back! Miller departs. A length ball, around middle and leg, David clears his front leg and looks to swing this through the line. The shot does not too much elevation but it does have enough power. The ball goes flat towards long on but AB de Villiers races to his right and dives full stretch to take a wonderful catch! |
| 0.0 : Mandeep Singh to bat next. |
| 18.2 : N Saini to M Singh, Full and outside off, Mandeep gets down and across, tries to paddle but misses. He wants the bye but is denied. Pooran starved for 2 balls... |
| 18.3 : N Saini to M Singh, A short ball, pulled down to long on for a single. 29 needed from 9 balls now. |
| 18.4 : N Saini to N Pooran, Where did that go? Pooran's followthrough reminded me of my geometry class when I used to try and draw a circle or an arc with a compass. A short ball, around middle and leg, Nicholas backs away and looks to pull but is months early into the shot. The ball goes off the top edge and goes towards sweeper cover. A single taken. |
| 18.5 : N Saini to M Singh, Full and outside off, sliced through cover for a single. |
| 18.6 : N Saini to N Pooran, OUT! Caught! Is that the final nail in the coffin? Pooran holes out and with that, perhaps, the last hopes for Punjab go out. A length ball, outside off, Nicholas backs away and looks to go big but skies this way too high in the air. He has the height but not the distance. AB de Villiers keeps his eyes on the ball but loses it in the night sky. However, he adjusts well in the end to take it slightly away from his body. Fine knock from the West Indian though. |
| Punjab skipper, Ravichandran Ashwin is the new man in. Umesh Yadav to bowl the last over and this time he has 26 to defend. |
| 19.1 : U Yadav to R Ashwin, SIX! Is Ashwin going to do an MSD? A length ball, around middle, Ashwin backs away and sends this sailing over long on! 21 needed from 5 balls... |
| 19.2 : U Yadav to R Ashwin, OUT! No MSD magic for Ravi Ash. A length ball again, once more Ashwin backs away to the leg side and looks to go big. But this time, he does not time it. Holes out to Virat Kohli at long on who takes it but then fumes at Umesh regarding the length. Not the best ball to be bowled at this stage... |
| The new man in is Hardus Viljoen. |
| 19.3 : U Yadav to H Viljoen, OUT! Caught down the leg side and Umesh has 3! A short ball, around middle and leg, Viljoen looks to pull but is done in by the pace. Only manages to get a top edge which is taken nicely by Parthiv Patel diving to his left. Is a hat-trick on the cards? |
| Murugan Ashwin is the new man in. He will face the hat-trick ball. |
| 19.4 : U Yadav to M Ashwin, No hat-trick. Outside off, Murugan backs away and slashes hard but misses. |
| 19.5 : U Yadav to M Ashwin, DROPPED! Does not matter in terms of the game result but Umesh has been denied a 4-fer. A short ball, around middle, Ashwin backs away and swings hard. The ball goes only as far as long on where Virat Kohli should have taken it but he grasses it. A single taken. |
| Do we have a run out on the final ball? Does not matter. Bangalore have won but the umpires are checking this... |
| 19.6 : U Yadav to M Singh, Safe. But the focus is on Kohli and his men. 4 wins on the trot against Punjab! Outside off, Mandeep punches this through the covers where the fielder misfields. AB de Villiers backs it up from long off and returns a good throw to the bowler who takes the bails off and appeals as the batsmen return for the second. It is taken upstairs and replays show that Murugan Ashwin is well in. BANGALORE WIN BY 17 RUNS! |
| Bangalore are alive. Only just. Punjab fail to pull off a win which they needed desperately. They were on track for a majority of the game but somehow, let it slip. |
| Chasing a big total, one needs a good start. The 42-run opening stand in 20 balls laid the platform and then the 59-run stand for the second wicket between Rahul and Agarwal put Punjab on course. With 100-odd runs needed in 11 overs with 9 wickets in hand, they should have crossed the line, but then the dismissals of both Agarwal and Rahul choked the visitors slightly. |
| Punjab were coasting, at 105/3 in 10.1 overs when Rahul had got out. The next 3 overs went for just 11. That is where the game started to slip because suddenly, the required rate was above 11 an over. But then came a man called Nicholas Pooran. |
| The man from Trinidad put on show, smashing 46 from just 28 balls with 5 sixes in a 68-run stand with David Miller. 36 were needed in the last 3 overs and at that stage, it looked like Punjab had the game in their hands. But some superb death bowling by Umesh and Saini choked them again and the last 3 overs went for just 18 runs. |
| Tough luck for Punjab who will believe that they should have won that. But they needed one set batsman to bat till the end. But the top 5 just got starts and could not quite convert those. Not a great outing for the Bangalore bowlers but they stepped it up when it mattered, with Umesh Yadav taking 3 wickets while Saini got 2. |
| Earlier in the evening, an AB de Villiers special powered Bangalore to 202/4, with support from Parthiv Patel and Marcus Stoinis. They will be happy that the knock helped the team win. With this win, Bangalore move up to 7th but are on par with Kolkata with 8 points. Punjab stay where they were, on 5th at 10 points. |
| Punjab skipper, Ravichandran Ashwin, says that they were not able to win the crunch moments which are so crucial in this format. Reckons they have not been able to win those moments in this tournament and if they would have then they would have got 4 more points. Feels that they just need to get a win and back the players, telling that they have backed the players and kept the same batting line up. Adds that they have not been outplayed by any side and have always been in the game till the very |
| PARTHIV Patel is up next to chat. He says they have nothing to lose and tells that they were playing well but were unlucky to not get the wins. Tells he has been practicing hard and feels if he plays fast then Kohli can play his game. Smiles and says he ensures that there are 4 fielders inside the circle and the fielders are placed well and then he advises the bowlers where to bowl. |
| Victorious Bangalore captain, Virat Kohli, says that it is good to win 4 games out of 5 but could have been 5 out of 5. Tells they are just enjoying the game and feels the partnership between AB de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis was a game changer. Tells the focus was only to play well as a team and losing 6 in a row was very disappointing as no one in this squad had faced it in the past. Reckons the break before the match in Mohali helped and the focus was then just to have fun and enjoy themselve |
| AB DE VILLIERS HAS BEEN NAMED THE MAN OF THE MATCH for his blistering unbeaten knock of 82 in 44 balls. Says that in pressure situations, he just tries to stay calm but adds it is not easy as the game happens at pace. Tells that they know the home ground well even though their record here has not been good, but they always felt comfortable. Says he felt 160 was good while batting but says that dew plays an important factor and is showed in the second innings when it got a bit easy to bat. |
| Right then! The pandora box continues to dish out more entertaining stuff. A loss for Bangalore would have meant, they are out of the tournament. But they are not. It still remains a tough battle for the final 4 spots. Thursday, April 25, 2019, sees Kolkata host Rajasthan at 8 pm local (1430 GMT) at the Eden Gardens, in Match 43. How will that one unfold? Join us to find out at game time! ADIOS! TAKE CARE! |
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