Royal Challengers Bangalore defeat Kochi Tuskers Kerala by 6 wickets
Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated debutant IPL team Kochi Tuskers Kerala on their home ground by 6 wickets with 8 balls to spare in a high scoring game. Kochi Tuskers Kerala skipper Mahela Jayawardena won the toss and decided to bat. Royal Challengers Bangalore were headed by their new captain Daniel Vettori at the toss. Brendon McCullum (45 runs off 32 balls) and VVS Laxman (36 runs off 29 balls) provided a blazing start as they scored 80 runs in merely 9 overs for the opening stand before VVS departed. They then lost the momentum and Jayawardena (18 runs off 18 balls), Brad Hodge (27 runs off 21 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (23 not out off 16 balls) contributed as they scored 161/5 in 20 overs. In reply, Royal Challengers Bangalore managed to keep the required run rate under control though they lost wickets at regular intervals. India’s recent U-19 sensation Mayank Agarwal scored a brisk 33 runs off 24 balls including a first ball 6 off Muralitharan while Virat Kohli and Saurabh Tiwary scored 23 runs off 18 balls and 26 runs off 24 balls respectively. But it was AB de Villiers who steadied the innings and scored a match winning 54 runs off 40 balls though debutant Asad Pathan also came to the party too as he scored 3 fours in his short innings of 4 balls as he hit the winning runs. AB De Villiers was adjudged the Man of the Match for his brilliant.
