Royal Challengers Bangalore kept their hopes of entering the knockout stage of IPL VI burning with a clinical 24-run win over Chennai Super Kings at the M Chinnaswamy stadium here on Saturday night.
Rains of varying intensity ensured that the match would not start before 11 pm, and the downpour also curtailed the game to an eight-over-a-side affair.
Once the match started there was enough for the home team fans to cheer as Virat Kohli (56) and Chris Gayle (28) played explosive innings to carry the Royal Challengers to 106 for two in eight overs. The Super Kings could manage only 82 for six. However, the Chennai team had already made it to the knockout phase along with Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.
Despite a convincing victory, the Royal Challengers will have to wait till Sunday night to know their fate. The Bangalore side now has 18 points at the end of their campaign in the league phase (16 matches), the same as Sunrisers Hyderabad.
However, the Hyderabad side still has one more game in their hands against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on the morrow. If the Hyderabad team defeats Knight Riders then they will go through to the knockout stage, and if the Kolkata outfit wins then the Royal Challengers will enter the play-offs because of their superior net run-rate.
Even after posting a mighty total on the board, courtesy Kohli and Gayle, the Royal Challengers needed a fine effort from their bowlers. On a cool Saturday night, they delivered the goods to keep RCB in the hunt for a knockout stage berth.
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