Jaipur: A B de Villiers blazed his way to the second fastest fifty in this edition of the Indian Premier League before K P Appanna did a star turn with the ball to help Royal Challengers Bangalore post a convincing 46-run win over Rajasthan Royals here on Monday.
After the undefeated 122-run fourth-wicket stand between de Villiers (59 off 23) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (76 off 58) propelled Bangalore to 189 for three, Appanna bemused the Rajasthan batsman with his slow left-arm bowling, which saw him return figures of 4/19, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Appanna weaved his magic after De Villiers consumed just 21 balls to get to his fifty.
While Dilshan hit 10 fours and a six, de Villiers smashed three fours and five sixes during their partnership, which came off just 50 balls.
Chasing a stiff target, Rajasthan were off to a flying start, with skipper Rahul Dravid (58 off 42) leading the way by racing to his fifty in just 34 balls.
Rajasthan crossed the 50-run mark in good time but the in-form Ajinkya Rahane’s dismissal to Appanna came as a setback.
23-year-old left-arm spinner, Appanna was drafted into the playing XI for this match in place of Arun Karthik.
Dravid, during his stay at the crease, played some innovative shots all round the wicket but, faced with the daunting task of keeping pace with the ever-increasing required rate, the senior pro needed more from his team-mates.
Even as Dravid reached his half-century with a four through cover, Appanna defeated Owais Shah in flight after the batsman came down the wicket only to be stumped by de Villiers for 10. (PTI)