![]() | « Back to article | Print this article |
A spectacular unbeaten 101 by David Miller helped Kings XI Punjab beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets in their IPL match in Mohali on Monday.
Miller registered the third fastest century in the history of the IPL.
The South African batsman played one of the most breathtaking knocks in IPL history and shared an unbelievable unbeaten 130-run stand for the fourth wicket with Rajgopal Satish (27) as the hosts overhauled the imposing 191-run target with 12 balls to spare.
Earlier, openers Chris Gayle and Cheteshwar Pujara hit contrasting half-centuries as Royal Challengers Bangalore amassed an imposing 190 for three.
Gayle's 61 came off 33 balls, with nine boundaries and three sixes, while Pujara scored 51 off 48 balls and helped himself with eight shots to the fence.
Cheteshwar Pujara, playing his first match of the season, and Gayle shared a 102-run stand to give their side a rollicking start.
A tentative Pujara was slow off the blocks, but the marauding West Indian was his usual aggressive self. He hit gigantic sixes off Neser, as the two openers reeled off 18 runs from South African paceman's first over.
As if the Gayle bashing was not enough, Pujara too got into the act, scoring a hat-trick of boundaries off Gony in the next over as Bangalore raced to 58 for none in six overs.
Manpreet Gony dismissed bowled both Gayle and Pujara, and the visitors lost skipper Virat Kohli (14) cheaply after that.
Gony was expensive, though, ending with figures of two for 41.
Michael Neser had a forgettable debut.
The South African-born Australian had figures of none for 62 off his four overs.
Moreover, his last over cost Punjab 26 runs.
AB de Villers came up with a 38-run cameo off just 19 balls towards the end to propel the side to a huge score.
De Villiers ensured that the good start did not go waste as he blasted his way to 38 with four fours and two sixes.
He collected 21 runs off the final over, bowled by debutant Michael Neser, along with Moises Henriques (16 not out).
David Miller's spectacular 101 not out did the trick for Punjab.
The South African's 38-ball knock, the third fastest in the IPL, was inclusive of eight boundaries and seven huge sixes.
Miller was dropped twice, on 23 and 41, and he made Bangalore pay a heavy price for the blemishes.
The 23-year-old was involved in a 130-run fifth wicket partnership with R Sathish (27 not out), one that came off just 49 balls and took Punjab home.
In the 14th over Miller was dropped by Kohli on the leg side. The RCB captain failed to take a simple, high catch.
The South African batsman's score then was 41. He made Bangalore pay big time for that miss as he went on to collect 17 runs from that over, bowled by Vinay Kumar.
The youngster never looked back thereafter to script one of the greatest turnarounds in the IPL.