Chris Gayle hit 85 off 50 balls
Chris Gayle slammed a whirlwind half-century to guide Royal Challengers Bangalore to a thumping eight-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in a lop-sided clash at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday.
The explosive West Indies left-hander, smacking nine sixes and four boundaries, hit 85 off 50 balls and shared an unbeaten 83-run stand with AB de Villiers (22) as the hosts overhauled the 155-run target with 15 balls to spare.
Bangalore lost opener Mayank Agarwal (6) early in the chase before Chris Gayle teamed up with skipper Virat Kohli (35 off 27) for a 63-run stand to take the hosts into comfort zone. Both batsmen smacked sparkling shots on the all corners of ground.
The comprehensive partnership between the pair ended with the dismissal of skipper, who hit four boundaries and two sixes before being holed out to Eoin Morgan off Lakshmipathy Balaji.
Unstoppable Chris Gayle, however, continued to pile up runs in the company of de Villiers. The Jamaican sandwiched two hefty blows over the top off Balajai to wrap the game up.
Earlier, put to bat Kolkata got off to a worse possible start and lost opener Manvinder Bisla (1) in the very first over.
Gautam Gambhir (59 off 46) and Jacques Kallis (16 off 19) started rebuilding the innings and shared 52 runs for the third wicket before latter caught by Henriques off Vinay.
Determined Gambhir continued to pile up runs in the company of newly-wed Yusuf Pathan (27 off 17) and shared 41 runs for the fifth wicket before Pathan, who hit three boundaries and a six in his knock, fell off Henriques.
Gambhir and Manoj Tiwary (23 off 16), then put 29 before a flurry of wickets – Gambhir, Eoin Morgan and Tiwary within 10 balls halted Kolkata’s momentum.
RP Singh was the pick of the bowlers picking 3 for 27, while Vinay Kumar and Moises Henriques picked up two wickets apiece.
