Punjab Kings’ qualification hopes hanging by a thread – they need to win their final game, and then have plenty of results go their way
Royal Challengers Bangalore 164 for 7 (Maxwell 57, Padikkal 40, Henriques 3-12) beat Punjab Kings 158 for 6 (Agarwal 57, Rahul 39, Chahal 3-29) by six runs
Virat Kohli‘s quest for a maiden IPL title before stepping down as captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore at the end of the season is still very much alive after his side became the third team to clinch a playoff berth in IPL 2021, holding on for a six-run win over Punjab Kings in Sharjah. Choosing to bat first, Kohli helped lay a solid foundation in tandem with Devdutt Padikkal by adding 68 for the first wicket before Glenn Maxwell powered on further with a half-century to take RCB to the highest total made by any side in Sharjah since the tournament resumed in September.
For the first half of the chase Kings looked like they would track it down, reaching 81 for 0 at the 10-over mark. But despite 57 from Mayank Agarwal as part of a 91-run opening partnership alongside orange-cap wearer KL Rahul, the wheels fell off soon after thanks to an inspired spell of legspin from Yuzvendra Chahal who claimed three wickets including Agarwal. By the time the final over came around, 19 runs were needed and purple-cap holder Harshal Patel had little trouble containing Kings lower order to secure victory.
More to follow…
Peter Della Penna is ESPNcricinfo’s USA correspondent @PeterDellaPenna
Source: ESPN Crickinfo