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Bangalore: Skipper Kohli smashed a brilliant unbeaten 56 before Zaheer Khan picked up 4 wickets as Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Chennai Super Kings by 24 runs and kept their playoffs hopes alive at M. Chinnaswamy stadium, here on Saturday night.
If tomorrow Kolkata beat Hyderabad then RCB qualify for Playoffs.
Earlier, some belligerent hitting by skipper Virat Kohli (56*), Chris Gayle (28) and Moises Henriques (12*) helped Royal Challengers Bangalore post 107-run target for Chennai Super Kings in the rain-curtailed 8-over a side match.
The in-form RCB opening duo started the hosts' innings aggressively as they punished Chennai bowler with total disdain in their fiery 67-run opening stand. Dyane Bravo dismissed fellow countryman Gayle in the sixth over to break the dangerous RCB opening partnership.
Kohli played another gem of an innings as the hosts' captain hit 4 sixes and 6 boundaries in his aggressive 29-ball knock.
Gayle hit as many as 4 sixes in his 13-ball whirlwind knock but his wicket failed to halt RCB run charge as Moises Henriques joined the party to score 12 off just 3 balls. Henriques smacked three consecutive fours in his quick-fire innings.
The opening duo scored 33 runs off the first three overs and raced to fifty in 4.4 overs.
Earlier, Chennai Super Kings have won the toss and sent Royal Challengers Bangalore to bat in eigth overs game.
Eight overs a side. Three bowlers can bowl a maximum of two overs each. Powerplay will be two overs.
Chris Morris is in for Albie Morkel for CSK. RCB have brought in RP Singh and Saurabh Tiwary for the Karhtiks, Murali and Arun.
Earlier, Heavy rains hit the areas in and around the Chinnaswamy stadium.
Bangalore will have to beat Chennai to brighten up their chance of making the play-offs. A win today will take them to 18 points but they would still not be assured of a place in next round.
For RCB to qualify, Sunrisers Hyderabad must lose their last league game (by heavy margin) against Kolkata Knight Riders on tomorrow.
Teams:
RCB: Saurabh Tiwary, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli (captain), AB de Villiers, Moises Henriques, Lokesh Rahul (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Vinay Kumar, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Jaidev Unadkat
CSK: Michael Hussey, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, MS Dhoni (captain & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Morris, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Mohit Mahipal Sharma
Brief scores
Royal Challengers Bangalore 106/2 (Kohli 56*, Gayle 28)
Chennai Super Kings 82/6 (Vijay 32, Zaheer Khan 4-17)
Result Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 24 runs
Points Royal Challengers Bangalore 2, Chennai Super Kings 0
MOM Virat Kohli (Bangalore Royal Challengers)
