IPL: Glenn Maxwell, Yuzvendra Chahal help RCB seal playoffs berth
Sharjah, October 3
Glenn Maxwell smashed 57 and then Yuzvendra Chahal spun a web around Punjab Kings as Royal Challengers Bangalore booked a playoffs berth with a six-run victory in an IPL game here today.
Maxwell’s 33-ball-57 propelled Punjab Kings to 164/7, which is the highest team total in Sharjah this season, and then Chahal owned the middle-overs with another game-changing spell of 3/29 which saw KL Rahul’s team finish at 158/6. It was another close match that Punjab Kings couldn’t finish off despite being 91/0 in the 11th over.
RCB became the third team after Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals to make it to the knockouts.
Kolkata Sundowners
Dubai: Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling rose to the challenge in a crucial match of the IPL here tonight, restricting Sunrisers Hyderabad to 115/8, before Shubman Gill starred with the bat in a six-wicket win.
KKR’s sixth win in 13 matches takes their points tally to 12, and victory in their final match — against Rajasthan Royals on October 7 — could clinch them a place in the knockout stage. Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians both have two matches to play, and they too have a chance to qualify for the final stage, while Punjab Kings’ hopes are virtually over.
Gill made a 51-ball 57, with 10 fours, adding 55 runs with Nitish Rana (25 off 33) after they got together at 38/2 in the seventh over.
Earlier, SRH skipper Kane Williamson’s decision to bat first backfired as they lost wickets at regular intervals, failing to counter KKR’s incisive bowling, especially of Tim Southee and the spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine. — PTI
Brief scores: RCB: 164/7 (Maxwell 57, Padikkal 40; Henriques 3/12, Shami 3/39) vs PBKS: 158/6 (Agarwal 57, Rahul 39; Chahal 3/29); SRH: 115/8 (Williamson 26; Southee 2/26, Chakravarthy 2/26) vs KKR: 119/4 in 19.4 overs (Gill 57; Holder 2/32)
