New Delhi: Paul Collingwood struck a breezy 46-ball 75 before bowlers wrecked havoc as Delhi Daredevils inched closer towards booking a semi-final berth beating Royal Challengers Bangalore by 37 runs in their Indian Premier League match on Sunday night.
Openers Virender Sehwag (35) and David Warner (33) set the tone but it was Collingwood's blitzkrieg, bejewelled with three fours and seven sixes, that catapulted Daredevils to a competitive 184 for five after the home team skipper Gautam Gambhir opted to bat first.
The hosts then put up a disciplined bowling performance to restrict Bangalore to 147 for nine to keep their slate clean against the Anil Kumble-led side and moved one place up to the second spot in points tally.
Spinner Amit Mishra and paceman Pradeep Sangwan picked up three wickets each giving away 32 and 22 runs respectively, while Farveez Maharoof, Daniel Vettori and Rajat Bhatia accounted for one wicket apiece at Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium.
South African Jacques Kallis picked up his fifth half-century of the tournament but his 42-ball 54 was not enough as the Bangalore outfit lost wickets at regular intervals and was left to do the catch up act after a slow start to their run-chase.
Chasing 185 to win, Bangalore rushed to 25 in three overs after Kallis slammed two fours in the first over and picked up a couple more in the next two overs.
But opener Cameron White's (4) wicket in the fourth over put brakes on the RCB innings as Kallis and Kevin Pietersen picked up ones and twos to build up the innings.
However, Sangwan's yorker cleaned up Pietersen as RCB slumped to 52 for two in 9.2 overs.
Kallis and Robin Uthappa then tried to break the shackles and picked up a couple of sixes off Daniel Vettori in the 11th over, but Warner took a stunning catch to get rid off Uthappa in the next over.
Needing 100 off 7 overs, Ross Taylor walloped three sixes -- two over mid-wicket and one over square-leg -- to take Bangalore to 105 for three in 14 overs.
But Taylor's 10-ball 22 innings was cut short by Bhatia when he had the New Zealander trapped in front of the wickets.
Kallis also perished in the very next over giving a simple catch to Collinwood.
Earlier, Collingwood's innings helped the home team gather a healthy total in 20 overs as the Englishman completed his second IPL 3 half-century.
Sehwag gave Delhi a blistering start as only fours and sixes flew from his bat. The India opener took the bowlers to the cleaners and blasted five fours and two sixes during his 22-ball cameo.
After a silent first over off Kumble, which yielded just two runs, Sehwag slammed two fours in the second over off Vinay Kumar. The swashbuckling batsman then biffed Kumble for two fours and a six in his second over.
Collingwood and Warner then added 31 runs for the third-wicket partnership. Warner was most destructive as he plundered consecutive sixes off Appanna in the ninth over before being removed by Kumble in the next over.
Karthik marked his arrival with a four off Kumble but White took a blinder two balls later in Appanna's over to dismiss the right-hander as Delhi slumped to 90 for four in 10.3 overs.
Collingwood, on the other side, kept clobbering the Bangalore bowlers and sent Kumble out of the park in the 17th over to complete his half-century.
Vettori, playing his first match this year, scored 19 off 17 balls to the end of the innings.
Brief scores
Delhi Daredevils 184 for 5 (Collingwood 75*, Sehwag 35, Appanna 2-24)
Royal Challengers Bangalore 147 for 9 (Kallis 54, Sangwan 3-22, Mishra 3-32)
Result: Delhi Daredevils won by 37 runs
MOM: Paul Collingwood (Delhi Daredevils)