KXI Punjab beat RC Bangalore by 7 Wickets
Posted by samchin on Apr 24, 2009
After losing two matches in a row, the Kings XI Punjab bounced back with a win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at Kingsmead, Durban. Highest paid IPL player Kevin Pietersen disappointed Royal Challengers yet again with a golden duck. Ravi Bopara played the match-winning knock of 84 off 59 balls to see his team through. After winning the first match against Rajasthan Royals, the Royal Challengers have now lost three matches in a row.
Earlier, Royal Challengers Bangalore won the toss and elected to bat first. They scored 168/9 in 20 overs. Jacques Kallis was the top scorer with 62, while Ross Taylor made 35. Jesse Ryder contributed 32. For KXIP, Yusuf Abdulla took 4 wickets, while Irfan Pathan took 3 wickets.
Chasing a victory target of 169, the Kings XI Punjab batted as a team and moved towards a comfortable win without much trouble. The team reached 173/3 in 19 overs. Ravi Bopara was the top scorer with 84 off 59 balls with 4 boundaries and 5 sixes. Yuvraj Singh remained unbeaten on 30. Sangakkara contributed 26.
Ravi Bopara won the “Maximum Number of Sixes” award and “Man of the Match” award for his blistering knock of 84.