AB de Villiers smashed an unbeaten 47 off just 17 balls to help Royal Challengers Bangalore to a sensational five-wicket win over Deccan Chargers in match No. 50 of the Indian Premier League season five at the M Chinnaswamy stadium here on Sunday.
Chasing 182 TO win, Tillakaratne Dilshan stroked a classy 71 and was ably supported by Chris Gayle as the duo stitched a 91-run partnership for the first wicket. Dilshan smashed two sixes and seven boundaries as he raced to his fifty in just 29 balls. Bangalore lost Gayle (26) as Anand Rajan got one to slip through his defence to disturb his timber.
Soon legspinner Amit Mishra struck twice in the fourteenth over to rock the Bangalore chase. Mishra dismissed Asad Pathan (4) and Virat Kohli (9) to reduce RCB to 106 for 3 in 13.5 overs. Just when it looked match is running away from RCB's hands, De Villiers hammered five fours and three sixes in his scintillating knock. The 18th over of the innings proved to be the turning point of the match as De Villers smacked two fours and two sixes off Dale Steyn to ensure Bangalore's much-needed win. Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad hit the winning four as Royal Challengers chased down 182-run target in 18.5 overs.
Earlier Shikhar Dhawan and Cameron White were once again in fine form as they led the Deccan Chargers to 181 for 2. Dhawan scored an elegant, fluent 73 not out off 52 balls, with 10 fours and a six. Put into bat, openers got Deccan off to a steady start as Harris and Dhawan put up an 86-run stand for the first wicket and then left-hander added another 82 runs off 44 balls with Cameron White (45) to help his team post a huge total.
The opening partnership was ended by a run out as Harris, charging off for a silly run, was beaten back to the bowler's end as Virat Kohli swooped wonderfully in the covers. That was in the 12th over and White settled in well before hitting the ball hard and straight in his final onslaught. Dhawan also continued his carnage and cracked consecutive boundaries in the 15th over off Prasanth Parameswaran to reach to his fifty.
Parameswaran finally got the break-through for the home side dismissing White for 45. However, it didn't make any difference as skipper Kumar Sangakkara (10) then smashed a four and a six off the last ball to swell the total.
Bangalore used as many as seven bowlers but apart from Muttiah Muralitharan, none could find the rhythm. But even though Murali bowled well, he failed to get any breakthrough for his team. The last five overs of the innings brought 64 runs as the Challengers bowlers were hit silly.
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