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AB sparkles as RCB win

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AB de Villiers (Gallo Images)
AB de Villiers (Gallo Images)

Cape Town - A magnificent AB de Villiers has produced the third-highest Indian Premier League (IPL) score and featured in the most prolific T20 partnership yet to power the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to a 39-run win against the Mumbai Indians in their clash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, according to the supersport.com website.

The result lifted RCB to fourth place on the IP -log and within reach of a playoff spot.

De Villiers smashed 133 off 59 balls with 19 fours and four sixes to power RCB to 235 for one.

He shared in a 215-run stand with Virat Kohli for the second wicket. Their 200-run partnership came off 101 balls.

Mumbai, courtesy of a stylish 68 off 53 deliveries by Lendl Simmons, made a valiant effort to eclipse RCB but finished on 196 for seven.

Simmons featured in a promising but short-lived 70-run partnership with Kieron Pollard off 37 balls for the third wicket.

Simmons started off splendidly for the Mumbai Indians as he steered them to 58 for one after seven overs.

Pollard smashed 49 off 24 balls with six fours and two sixes before he was caught at deep cover by Mitchell Starc off Sreesanth Aravind as Mumbai slipped to 133 for three after 14.3 overs.

Apart from the batting power and repertoire of De Villiers and Kohli, RCB’s bowling in the final eight overs was superior to that of the Mumbai attack.

Fast bowler Starc and medium-paced bowlers Harshal Patel, Aravind and David Wiese denied Mumbai boundaries as their innings fizzled out once Pollard was dismissed.

Aravind finished with 1-29, Patel captured 2-36 and Starc nipped out 1-41. Wiese’s four-over spell yielded 38 runs, which was splendid in the context of a high-scoring game.

Earlier, De Villiers produced a master class with the bat as his half-century came off 29 balls.

He required only 18 deliveries for his second 50. Kohli finished unbeaten on 82 off 50 balls with six fours and four sixes.

The last 14 overs produced 196 runs.

Mumbai paid dearly for fluffed chances, as Harbhajan Singh dropped Kohli at slip on six off Mitchell McClenaghan.

Lasith Malinga took 1-27 in four overs, but his spirited effort was not matched by his colleagues.

Mumbai erred by using the inexperienced Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah and the final five overs produced 88 runs as De Villiers and Kohli profited.

Slow bowler Harbhajan conceded 30 runs off two overs as De Villiers attacked relentlessly, while Jagadeesha Suchith also suffered at the hands of Kohli and De Villiers.

His three-over spell cost 35 runs.

After a sound start for Mumbai, Rohit Sharma was caught at deep mid-on by Mandeep Sigh off Harshal Patel’s off-cutter for 15 to restrict Mumbai to 63 for two in the ninth over.

Pollard and Simmons gave Mumbai a sniff in their belligerent partnership for the third wicket.

They hammered 17 runs in the 10th over, bowled by Aravind to lift Mumbai to 83 for two.

At this point, RCB lost their bowling composure as they erred by bowling short to Pollard.

Pollard dispatched Patel for 14 in the 11th over.

The legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal felt the brunt of the onslaught by Simmons and Pollard as they slammed him for 16 in the 12th over, but then Pollard holed out to Starc off Aravind.

Pandya only threatened very briefly before he was stumped off Chahal for eight.

De Villiers pulled off a superb catch at wide long-off to remove Ambati Rayudu off Harshal Patel for 14 as Mumbai were reduced to 174 for five in the 18th over.

Mumbai’s innings lost its shape as they realised they were out of reach of the massive total of 235.

Teams:

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