AB de Villiers scored a spectacular half-century to lead the Royal Challengers Bangalore to a place in the final of the Indian Premier League after a four-wicket win over the Gujarat Lions in their qualifier at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore yesterday.
Gujarat had posted 158 all out but they must have thought that they had the match sewn up as they reduced Bangalore to 29 for five and then 68 for six.
But De Villiers constructed a superb run chase as he blazed his way to 79 not out off just 47 balls with five fours and five sixes as Bangalore reached 159 for six with 10 balls of their innings remaining.
Bangalore had looked dead and buried as seamer Dhawal Kulkarni tore through their top order to end with figures of 4-14. But Stuart Binny (21) and De Villiers rescued the innings a touch with a sixth-wicket stand of 39 before Binny was trapped leg-before by left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja.
De Villiers and Iqbal Abdulla then shared in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 91 off just 8.4 overs to seal a remarkable victory. Abdulla ended not out on 33 off 25 deliveries.
Bangalore will now contest the final while Gujarat are not out of the tournament as they will play in a second qualifier, against either the Kolkata Knight Riders or the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Kulkarni struck for the first time in the second over when he bowled the in-form Virat Kohli (0) after the batsman chopped the ball onto his stumps.
In his next over Kulkarni struck twice in two balls when he bowled Chris Gayle (9) with a delivery that kept a touch low before having KL Rahul (0) caught at a wide first slip.  Kulkarni nabbed his fourth wicket in his next over when he had Sachin Baby (0) caught in the covers as Bangalore crashed to 29 for five inside six overs. But De Villiers was not overawed by the occasion and he raced to his fifty off 33 balls. Shane Watson had earlier nabbed four wickets while Dwayne Smith fought a lone battle as his fifty helped prop up a faltering Gujarat innings.
Smith bludgeoned his way to an enterprising 73 off just 41 deliveries with five fours and six sixes. The next best score was just 26 as Smith looked a class apart from his teammates.
Seamer Watson played his part in restricting Gujarat with his excellent return of 4-29. Watson was well supported by left-arm spinner Abdulla (2-38) and paceman Chris Jordan (2-26). Gujarat, after being asked to bat, were soon in trouble as Abdulla strike twice in the second over when he had Brendon McCullum (1) caught at deep extra cover and Aaron Finch (4) caught at first slip as the Lions crashed to 6-2.
Gujarat’s problems worsened when Suresh Raina (1) pulled a short ball from Watson straight to Sreenath Aravind at short fine leg with the fielder taking a sharp catch as the visitors slipped to 9-3 in the fourth over. But Smith and Dinesh Karthik (26) rescued the innings with an 85-run fourth wicket stand off 10.1 overs.
Smith reached his fifty, off 31 balls, with the fourth six of his innings to go with five fours but the stand was finally ended when Karthik walked across his stumps a delivery from Jordan and was bowled.
Jadeja (3) did not last long before he cut a Watson delivery to Gayle at backward point as Gujarat stuttered to 105-5 in the 16th over. Smith’s fine innings was ended in the next over when he slammed a delivery from legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal straight to Kohli at long-on.
Eklavya Dwivedi (19) struck a few lusty blows before he heaved a Watson delivery towards long-on where Kohli, running in, took a superb juggling catch after he dived forward. Watson struck with his next ball when he bowled Dwayne Bravo (8) before Jordan bowled Praveen Kumar (1) in the last over while Kulkarni (10) was run out off the last ball of the innings.
Brief Scores
Gujarat Lions 158 all out in 20 overs (Dwayne Smith 73, Dinesh Karthik 26; Shane Watson 4/29, Chris Jordan 2/26) lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore innings 159 for 6 in 18.2 overs (AB de Villiers not out 79, Iqbal Abdulla not out 33; D Kulkarni 4-14, R Jadeja 2-21) by four wickets