Bangalore registered victory by a margin of seventeen runs against Punjab in the 42nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin opted to field after winning the toss.
Bangalore openers Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli got the side off to a steady start, scoring 35 runs off 3 overs. However, the quick dismissals of Kohli and Patel helped Punjab make a comeback in the clash.
Bangalore lost wickets at regular intervals following the first strategic timeout with a steady decline in the run-rate. However, a late partnership between AB de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis helped the side post a total of 202.
AB de Villiers was the highest run-scorer for Bangalore, with a knock of 82 runs off 44 deliveries. The Proteas batsman scored three boundaries and seven sixes, with Stoinis providing valuable support at the other end. The Australian batsman scored 46 runs off 34 deliveries in an innings comprising of two boundaries and three sixes.
Punjab, on the other hand, started their chase strongly, scoring 100 runs in 9 overs despite the dismissal of Chris Gayle early on.
The Bangalore bowling attack led by Umesh Yadav made its presence felt at this stage accounting for the key wickets of KL Rahul, David Miller and Mayank Agarwal.
Windies batsman Nicholas Pooran attempted to guide his side towards victory with a 28-ball 46 comprising of a boundary and five sixes. However, lack of support from other batsmen resulted in a final scoreline of 185 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs.
Team Kolkata face off against Rajasthan in the 43rd match of IPL 2019 on Thursday at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Let us take a look at how the eight teams are placed in the standings ahead of the clash:
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | +0.091 |
| Delhi | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | +0.181 |
| Mumbai | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +0.357 |
| Hyderabad | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | +0.654 |
| Punjab | 11 | 5 | 6 | o | 0 | 10 | -0.117 |
| Kolkata | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -0.013 |
| Bangalore | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -0.683 |
| Rajasthan | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.470 |
Orange Cap:
Australian opener David Warner continues to lead the run-scoring chart, following his 45-ball 57 against Chennai on Tuesday.
Warner has accumulated 574 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 146.05 and an average of 71.75.
Fellow Hyderabad opener Jonny Bairstow who played his last game of IPL 2019 against Chennai on Tuesday, is placed second on the list.
Bairstow failed to add to his run-scoring tally after being dismissed for a duck following a stumping off Harbhajan Singh.
The Englishman has scored 445 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 157.24 and average of 55.62.
Windies veteran Chris Gayle trails Bairstow by a single run, following his quickfire 10-ball 23 against Bangalore on Wednesday. Gayle scored 23 runs off 10 balls in an innings comprising of four boundaries and a six.
The Windies cricketer has scored 444 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 162.04 and average of 49.33.
Fellow Punjab opener KL Rahul is placed fourth on the list with 441 runs in 11 innings with a strike rate of 130.08 and average of 55.12.
Proteas batsman AB de Villiers is the new addition to the top-five list, following his 44-ball 82 against Punjab on Wednesday. The cricketer has scored 414 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 158.01 and average of 59.14.
Purple Cap:
South African speedster Kagiso Rabada who has been a vital contributor for Delhi in IPL 2019, leads the list of the highest wicket-takers.
Delhi are placed on the second spot in the points table, with 14 points on the back of seven wins and four losses. Rabada has picked 23 wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 7.83.
Chennai cricketers Imran Tahir and Deepak Chahar are placed on the second and third spot respectively, with 16 and 14 wickets from 11 matches.
Bangalore spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and Punjab pacer Mohammed Shami round off the top-five list with 14 wickets apiece. Chahal went wicket-less against Punjab on Wednesday, conceding 27 runs in 2 overs.
