Bangalore: Star batsman Yuvraj Singh smashed a magnificient 68 not out in a stunning six-hitting exhibition to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to a 16-run victory over Delhi Daredevils in an IPL match here on Tuesday.
The in-form Yuvraj, who had scored a brilliant 83 of just 38 balls against Rajasthan Royals in his side’s last game here, set the Chinnaswamy Stadium on fire as he hit nine sixes and a four off just 29 balls to single-handedly take his side to a formidable 186 for four after being put in to bat.
Chasing a stiff target, Delhi were restricted to 170 for seven in 20 overs to lose the match, which started 70 minutes behind schedule due to a light drizzle.
With this win, Bangalore jumped to sixth spot with eight points from 10 matches while Delhi languish at the bottom with four points from 10 matches as they now face an uphill task to qualify for the play-offs.
Coming out to bat in the 13th over at team total of 94/3, Yuvraj struck sixes almost at will towards the end of the innings after a slow start by his side. This was his third fifty-plus knock in 10 matches in IPL 7 as he signalled his return to his vintage form after recent failures.
Yuvraj hit three sixes of successive balls off South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir to gather 21 runs from 17th over and then smashed a maximum each in the next two overs bowled by Mohammed Shami and Siddarth Kaul. He reserved his best for the last as he hammered Rahul Shukla for 27 runs in the final over, belting four consecutive sixes.
Delhi began their chase in the worst possible fashion as they lost both their openers Murali Vijay (1) and Quinton de Kock (6) inside the second over at team total of 10 for two.
Captain Kevin Pietersen (33) and Mayank Agarwal (31) briefly kept Delhi in the game with a 63-run stand for the third wicket from 7.2 overs before the latter was out. The match was as good as over when Pietersen was out in the 12th over off leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal as Delhi were reduced to 97 for four, needing 90 runs from eight overs.
Pietersen, who is yet to come up with a big score from his seven innings, hit two fours and a six in his 29-ball knock. He was foxed by Chahal with the turn, as a flatter and shorter delivery beat a charging-down Pietrsen for Parthiv Patel to do the easy stumping.
Dinesh Karthik (1) did not stay long at the crease as he followed his captain at the dressing room just an over later and though JP Duminy hit a six off Chahal soon after, Delhi needed to score 68 runs from the last five overs at an asking rate of 13 runs per over.
Duminy (48 off 30 balls) made a heroic effort along with Kedar Jadhav (37) but the South African’s resistance ended in the 18th over and with it, the flicker of hope for Delhi to win also gone.
Delhi needed 26 off the last over bowled by Mitchell Starc and Jadhav hit a six off the first ball but they could score only nine runs from that over.
Veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and pacer Mitchell Starc took two wickets each for 25 and 26 runs, respectively. (PTI)
SCORECARD
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
C Gayle b Shukla 22
P Patel c Karthik b Shami 29
V Kohli run out 10
AB de Villiers b Kaul 33
Yuvraj not out 68
S Rana not out 15
Extras: (lb-4, w-3, nb-2) 9
Total: (4 wkts; 20 overs) 186
FOW: 1-33, 2-45, 3-94, 4-107
Bowling: Duminy 4-0-25-0, Shami 4-0-31-1, Kaul 4-0-37-1, Shukla 4-0-41-1, Tahir 4-0-48-0
Delhi Daredevils:
Q de Kock b Starc 6
M Vijay lbw b Muralitharan 1
M Agarwal c Rana b Ahmed 31
K Pietersen st Patel b Chahal 33
JP Duminy b Starc 48
D Karthik c Chahal b Murali 1
K Jadhav run out 37
R Shukla not out 2
M Shami not out 1
Extras: (b-4, lb-2, w-2, nb-2) 10
Total: (7 wkts; 20 overs) 170
FOW: 1-2, 2-10, 3-73, 4-97, 5-102, 6-147, 7-168
Bowling: Muralitharan 4-0-25-2, Starc 4-0-26-2, Ahmed 4-0-40-1, Chahal 4-0-45-1, Yuvraj 4-0-28-0