Gilchrist smashes century in Kings XI rout of RCB
Skipper Adam Gilchrist struck a blistering century and shared a record 206-run stand with fellow Australian Shaun Marsh to set up an emphatic 111-run victory for Kings XI Punjab over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League here Tuesday.
Gilchrist (106 off 55 balls) and Marsh (79 off 49) forged the highest partnership in the history of the IPL to post a mammoth 232/8 and then Piyush Chawla (4-17) delivered with the ball yet again as Royal Challengers folded up for 121 in 17 overs.
This was Kings XI Punjab's fourth win a row and with 14 points from 13 games, they are very much in race for a spot in the play-offs. Though Royal Challenger's seven-match winning streak came to an end here, they are the only team to have qualified for the next stage.
Gilchrist, who came to the party when his team needed him the most and after deciding to bat on a greenish pitch, took the game beyond the visitors. Marsh, too, was in devastating form on a day when the two Australians set the HPCA stadium on fire with some scintillating strokeplay.
In-form Paul Valthaty (20) fell in the fourth over and by the end of the field restrictions, Kings XI had scored only 30 runs with the two left-handers waiting to explode. Gilchrist and Marsh soon changed gear and started dealing in fours and sixes.
The once-feared Gilchrist showed he still had a lot to offer with the bat as he belted nine sixes and eight fours in his second hundred in the IPL.
Marsh looked unstoppable too and displayed his power-hitting skills all through out his innings. He gave the best possible testimony of that when he collected 30 runs off Johan van der Wath in the 15th over. He hit five sixes and seven fours in his unbeaten knock.
Chris Gayle (0) had to fire if Royal Challengers had any chance of overcoming the total. But he departed only in the second over, nicking an away going delivery off Ryan Harris (3-28) straight into the hands of Gilchrist. Harris generated good pace and bounce and sent opposition stand-in captain Virat Kohli (11) back in his next over to further turn the screws.
Chawla then foxed the batsmen with his spin and made sure the Royal Challengers never got off the block.