Ross Taylor smashed an unbeaten half-century as the Royals Challengers Bangalore kept themselves in contention for an Indian Premier League semi-final spot with a six-wicket victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Taylor’s 81 off 33 deliveries overshadowed an unbeaten 84 off 64 from Brendon McCullum, which had helped the Knight Riders reach 173 for four after being asked to take first strike.

David Hussey chipped in with a knock of 43 from 27 deliveries and put on 70 runs for the third wicket with McCullum, but Taylor stole the show.

The Royal Challengers began their chase confidently with openers Jacques Kallis (32) and Jesse Ryder (22) putting on 58 for the opening wicket in fairly good time.

McCullum used five bowlers inside the first six overs but the duo had smashed 46 in the powerplays when Murali Karthik halted the scoring with a tidy spell and a brace of wickets.

The left-arm spinner first sent back Kallis, although the wicket came more through a brilliant catch from McCullum at short cover.

Robin Uthappa was his second victim – caught in the deep – and when Ryder fell to Ajit Agarkar shortly after, the Royal Challengers’ line-up was in danger of unravelling.

But Taylor went on the attack immediately, clubbing Karthik for consecutive sixes in the bowler’s final over and hitting Angelo Mathews for successive boundaries in the next over.

Taylor dragged the Royal Challengers back on course with a 48-run stand for the third wicket with Rahul Dravid and continued to hit boundaries at will after Dravid’s fall in the 16th over.

The Royal Challengers needed 94 from the last eight overs but Taylor reduced the gap to 55 from the last five and 21 from the last two overs, and eventually to five from the last over. He then brought up victory with a six, as the Royal Challengers reached their target with four deliveries to spare, and with Mark Boucher not out on 13.

Tags: Anil Kumble, Bangalore Royal Challengers, Bangalore Vs Kolkata, Brendon McCullum, David Hussey, IPL 2009 News, IPL Scores, IPL Updates, Jacques Kallis, Jesse Ryder, Mark Boucher, Murali Karthik, Rahul Dravid, Robin Uthappa, Ross Taylor, Royal Challengers Vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan, Vijay Mallya

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The Bangalore Royal Challengers secured a five-wicket win off the penultimate ball against the Kolkata Knight Riders to move off the bottom of the Indian Premier League standings on Wednesday.

The second match in the Durban between the Mumbai Indians and the Kings XI Punjab also went down to the last over with the bowling side, Punjab, holding on for a three-run win.

Chasing Kolkata’s total of 139 for six, Bangalore reached 143 for five after beginning the last over of their innings needing 10 runs for victory.

South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher (25 not out) duly obliged for Bangalore by scoring 12 runs off five balls with the winning runs coming courtesy of a boundary behind square-leg.

Bangalore’s winning total was built on a first-wicket stand of 69 off 72 balls between Jacques Kallis (23) and left-hander Shreevats Goswami, who contributed 43, while off spinner Brad Hodge returned figures of 3-29 for Kolkata.

After Kolkata had won the toss and chosen to bat, Bangalore made use of four spinners who between them bowled 15 overs for 99 runs, picking up five wickets. Leg spinner Anil Kumble was the most successful with 2-16 off four overs.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle contributed 40 runs to Kolkata’s score while right-hander Morne van Wyk, on his IPL debut, scored 43 not out. Kolkata are rooted to the bottom of the table with one win and one no-result from their six matches.

Mumbai began the last over of their innings, bowled by left-arm seamer Yusuf Abdulla, needing 12 runs to win.

But when Abdulla (2-19) had JP Duminy caught at deep midwicket for 59 with the fourth ball of the over, Mumbai’s challenge fizzled out as they reached 116 for seven.

Punjab, who won the toss and elected to bat, scored 119 for eight on a sluggish pitch that did not encourage stroke play with Sri Lanka wicketkeeper/batsman Kumar Sangakkara top-scoring with 45 not out.

Tags: Anil Kumble, Bangalore Royal Challengers, bollywood, Brad Hodge, Chris Gayle, Duminy, IPL 2, IPL 2009, IPL 2009 News, IPL Scores, IPL South Africa, IPL Updates, Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, Kings XI Punjab, Kings XI Punjab Vs Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight riders, Kumar Sangakkara, Mark Boucher, Morne, Mumbai Indians, Preity Zinta, Royal Challengers Vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, Shreevats Goswami, Yusuf Abdulla, Yuvraj Singh

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Bangalore Royal Challengers restricted Kolkata Knight Riders to 139/6 in 20 overs in the 19th match of the second edition of the Indian Premier League at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday.

Morne van Wyk top scored for Kolkata with an unbeaten 44 that came off 35 balls and was studded with 4 fours. West Indian captain Chris Gayle hit 6 fours in 37-ball 40.

Gayle was dismissed when he hit a KP Appanna delivery to long on where Shreevats Goswami came running from deep mid-wicket and dived to take the catch.

Anil Kumble took 2 wickets in his spell of 4 overs as Kolkata kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Kolkata were 61/3 in 10 overs.

Batting first after winning the toss, Kolkata got off to a worst start possible as captain Brendon McCullum cut the first delivery of the match by his Bangalore counterpart Kevin Pietersen to backward point for Virat Kohli to take the catch.

Bangalore are playing three frontline spinners, but Pietersen, a part-time spinner, opened the bowling and struck with his first delivery.

Kumble struck in his first over when trapped Brad Hodge (17) plumb in front of the wicket by a straighter delivery. Hodge hit a six and a four in his 17-run knock that came off 15 balls.

Former captain Sourav Ganguly pulled a Praveen Kumar delivery to deep mid-wicket for Jacuqes Kallis to take the catch in the ninth over.

Tags: Anil Kumble, Appanna, Bangalore Royal Challengers, Brad Hodge, Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle, IPL 2, IPL 2009, IPL 2009 News, IPL Scores, IPL South Africa, IPL Updates, Kevin Pietersen, Knight Riders, Kolkata Knight riders, Morne, Praveen Kumar, Royal Challengers Vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan, Shreevats Goswami, Sourav Ganguly, Vijay Mallya, Virat Kohli

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