Royal Challengers Bangalore registered an excellent win by 8 wickets against Kings XI Punjab who set a target of 204. Bangalore was successful in finishing the chase with seven balls remaining.

Bopara (77) and Bisla (75) laid a good start for the Kings but Kallis (89 not out, 4*8, 6*5) and Uthappa (51, 4*4, 4*6) stole the show from the Punjab XI before the completion of 20 overs.

It was a shower of boundaries from both sides with Kings XI Punjab striking many fours and few sixes while Bangalore Royal Challengers showcased with many sixes and few fours.

Jacques Kallis was declared Man of the Match.

Tags: Bangalore Royal Challengers, Bisla, Jacques Kallis, Ravi Bopara, Robin Uthappa, Royal Challengers Vs Kings XI Punjab, Yuvraj Singh

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Yuvraj Singh had almost single-handedly won the match and if he would have stayed there five overs more, the game would have been all over, feels Royal Challengers skipper Anil Kumble.

“The ball was stopping and coming and Yuvraj of course likes pace on the ball and I wanted to take the pace off and that worked. Yuvi was going great guns and if he had been five overs more, probably the game was over and there on we really tightened screw,” Kumble said after the match.

Yuvraj Singh notched up the first hat-trict of second Premier League and also scored a blistering 33-ball 50 but still could not avoid Kings XI Punjab’s narrow 9-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore here today.

Kumble gave credit to Roelof van der Merwe for posting such a competitive target even after losing three wickets in three balls.

“It was a great game. After losing three wickets in three balls, I thought Re (van der Merwe) batted fantastically to get us to 145 and everybody rallied around him and when we got to the score we really backed ourself. It is a great show by the bowlers,” he said.

Merwe score a quickfire 35 off 19 balls studded with three fours and three sixes to post a target of 146 to win against the Kings XI Punjab.

Kumble also lavished praise on Praveen Kumar for his crucial over in the end. “It was tough to grip the ball because of the dew. We didn’t expect dews and Praveen is a quicker baller and has experience and he bowled brilliantly,” he said.

Kumble, who succeeded Kevin Pietersen as skipper, said they are improving with each game and hoped the winning streak will continue.

Disappointed at the loss, Yuvraj Singh said the opponent were a better side on the given day.

Tags: Anil Kumble, Bangalore Royal Challengers, IPL 2, IPL 2009, IPL 2009 News, IPL Scores, IPL South Africa, IPL Updates, Kevin Pietersen, Kings XI Punjab, Merwe, Praveen Kumar, Preity Zinta, Royal Challengers Vs Kings XI Punjab, Yuvraj Singh

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After ending their losing streak, Bangalore Royal Challengers will be looking to maintain their new-found form when they clash with an upbeat Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Friday.

Both Royal Challengers and Kings XI Punjab clinched thrilling victories in their last matches. Royal Challengers beat Knight Riders to end their four-match losing streak while Kings XI Punjab beat Mumbai Indians in a low-scoring match.

The Bangalore team captain Kevin Pietersen left for England for the series against the West Indies. Earlier Jacques Kallis was supposed to take over from Pietersen, but now it looks like Anil Kumble or Rahul Dravid might take up the job, as indicated by coach Ray Jennings.

Under Pietersen, Royal Challengers made a brilliant start with an upset win over defending champions Rajasthan Royals. But then lost way only to get back with a thrilling win over Knight Riders.

But what might have worked for Royal Challengers was the changes to their side. They replaced Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor with youngster Shreevats Goswami and Mark Boucher. It worked for Royal Challengers as Goswami made a flamboyant 43 as an opener while the experienced Boucher saw the team through in the final stages.

In the bowling department, barring Kumble and Praveen Kumar none of the bowlers have looked impressive.

Kings XI, on the other hand, are riding high after beating Mumbai Indians for their third straight win.

Kumar Sangakkara and Ravi Bopara have played crucial knocks with good all-round performances from Irfan Pathan. Pacer Yusuf Abdulla has been impressive in the tournament and gave a match-winning performance against Mumbai Indians. Skipper Yuvraj Singh is still to come good.

Tags: Anil Kumble, Bangalore Royal Challengers, IPL 2, IPL 2009, IPL 2009 News, IPL Scores, IPL South Africa, IPL Updates, Irfan Pathan, Jacques Kallis, Jesse Ryder, Kevin Pietersen, Kings XI Punjab, Kumar Sangakkara, Mark Boucher, Preity Zinta, Rahul Dravid, Ravi Bopara, Ross Taylor, Royal Challengers, Royal Challengers Vs Kings XI Punjab, Shreevats Goswami, Vijay Mallya, Yusuf Abdulla, Yuvraj Singh

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Ravi Bopara blasted his way to a half century to help the Kings XI Punjab beat the Bangalore Royal Challengers by seven wickets at Kingsmead on Friday for their first victory in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL).

Bopara carved his way to 84 off 59 balls with four fours and five sixes as Punjab, chasing Bangalore’s total of 168 for nine, scored 173 for three to win the match with six balls remaining.

Opening batsman Bopara initially played a vigilant innings as he used up 46 balls to reach fifty but the right-hander then cut loose, adding 32 runs to his score, off 13 balls.

He was caught at midwicket by New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder off the bowling of seamer Jacques Kallis with Punjab needing 11 runs from 11 balls to win.

Bopara had shared in a third-wicket stand of 66 off 34 balls with skipper Yuvraj Singh and it was Punjab’s captain who finished the match in some style by belting a Kallis delivery over long-off for six to end the innings not out on 30.

Punjab’s innings appeared to have stalled due to an economical performance from leg spinner Anil Kumble, who served up a four-over spell that captured a wicket and cost 19 runs, but then Bopara and Yuvraj took control of the match.

Bangalore’s total was built on 62 off 46 balls from South African Kallis after opener Ryder had got the innings off to a fast start thanks to his 32 from 21 balls.

Left-arm swing bowler Yusuf Abdulla accounted for both men before adding the wickets of England’s Kevin Pietersen (0) and Kiwi Ross Taylor (35) as he finished with career best Twenty20 figures of four for 31 off four overs.

Abdulla received admirable support from fellow left-arm swing bowler Irfan Pathan who snared three for 35 off four overs including two wickets in the last over of Bangalore’s innings.

Tags: Anil Kumble, Bangalore Royal Challengers, bollywood, IPL 2, IPL 2009, IPL Scores, IPL South Africa, IPL Updates, Jacques Kallis, Jesse Ryder, Kevin Pietersen, Kings XI Punjab, Preity Zinta, Ravi Bopara, Ross Taylor, Royal Challengers Vs Kings XI Punjab, Yusuf Abdulla, Yuvraj Singh

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After falling prey to the rain Gods fury twice, the struggling Kings XI Punjab will hope for better luck this time while Royal Challengers Bangalore will strive to get into the groove when the two teams cross swords here on Friday.

Things are not really falling in place for the Punjab team, who are languishing at the bottom of the table after losing first two encounters after the heavens opened up at crucial junctures on both occasions, forcing the umpires to apply the Duckworth-Lewis method.

The Yuvraj Singh-led side lost their campaign-opener against the Delhi Daredevils by ten wickets before going down to the Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders in another rain-truncated encounter.

Although they are yet to open their account a week into the IPL’s second edition, the Punjab team undoubtedly possesses a mighty batting order, led by stylish left-hander Yuvraj himself, and is poised to take on Bangalore’s bowling line-up consisting erratic paceman Dale Steyn, Praveen Kumar and Kiwi all-rounder Jesse Ryder, apart from Jacques Kallis and Anil Kumble.

Yuvraj, who scored a brisk 28-ball 38 in the match against the Kolkata side, will also count on Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara and his country-mate Mahela Jayawardene for timely contributions.

On the other hand, Royal Challengers started their journey in style by comprehensively beating defending champions Rajasthan Royals by 75 runs, but since then, they are suffering from lack of consistency. Skipper Kevin Pietersen will surely draw from his experience to recapture the form they showed in the first match.

Besides Pietersen, the onus of building the innings will also be on star all-rounder Kallis and Rahul Dravid, whose 48-ball 66 was the cornerstone of Bangalore’s win against the Royals.

With the team management adamant on continuing with Robin Uthappa behind the sticks instead of South African Mark Boucher, the Karnataka cricketer also has to play his part as an opening batsman to lay the foundation for a fighting total or to chase a stiff target.

Tags: Anil Kumble, Bangalore Royal Challengers, IPL 2, IPL 2009, IPL Updates, Jacques Kallis, Jesse Ryder, Kevin Pietersen, Kings XI Punjab, Kumar Sangakkara, Preity Zinta, Rahul Dravid, Royal Challengers, Royal Challengers Vs Kings XI Punjab, Uttappa, Vijay Mallya, Yuvraj

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