An in-form Royal Challengers Bangalore continued their good run of form as they defeated the Gujarat Lions by four wickets in what was a thrilling chase in Bangalore. AB de Villiers arguably played his best knock of this Indian Premier League as his unbeaten knock of 79 handed RCB safe passageway to the IPL final.
Earlier, Dwayne Smith played a valuable knock for Gujarat Lions scoring a knock of 73 runs to help his side reach a total of some respectability. Dhawal Kulkarni's early wickets pushed RCB on the back foot as they were 29/5 at one point of time. However, ABD came up with a special knock to power RCB through to their third IPL final.
Here is how the cricketing fraternity reacted:
Gujarat Lions captain, Suresh Raina:
“AB batted really well. We bowled well upfront. We bowled well in the middle It is a small ground and we did not get wickets in the in-between overs. Smithy and Dwivedi batted well. 160 was defendable. Dr Smith made crucial runs.”
Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, Virat Kohli:
“I don't believe that I am standing here as the winning captain. That ends the debate who is the best. I bow down to the big man [AB]. One of the best knocks under pressure. Really happy for him. We have played good cricket coming into the playoffs.
“Today, the top order did not do well. I could see the opposition was worried about AB. Credit to Abdulla as well. Terrific composure from the young guy. The ball stopped early but eased in the second innings. It couldn't be a better-scripted story for us: playoffs in Bangalore and final in Bangalore. This one is for the people of Bangalore.”
Man-of-the-match, AB de Villiers:
“I was very, very nervous to be honest. I know if I was at the end, we would be close. The one boundary just cleared the fielder and I saw the ball well from then. I attacked Dwayne Smith; Virat said the weather was bad. This crowd is the loudest I have heard in my life... We went down in the first half of the tournament, but we have turned it around.”
Royal Challengers Bangalore opener, Chris Gayle:
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain, David Warner:
England fast bowler, Stuart Broad:
Former Indian batsman, VVS Laxman:
Former Australian opener, Matthew Hayden:
Former Pakistan all-rounder, Azhar Mahmood:
Former West Indies bowler, Ian Bishop:
Former England captain, Michael Vaughan:
Former New Zealand all-rounder, Scott Styris:
Former Indian women's cricket team captain, Anjum Chopra:
Former England women's cricketer, Isa Guha:
Former England cricketer, Neil Fairbrother:
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