INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru hammer Gujarat Titans by four wickets for their third successive
IPL win on Saturday.Chasing a modest 148 for victory, Du Plessis, who hit 64, and Kohli, who made 42, laid the foundations with a stand of
92 in 35 balls as the target was achieved with 6.2 overs to spare at Bengaluru&s M
Chinnaswamy Stadium, AFP reported.Du Plessis& departure triggered a collapse as Gujarat hit back with wickets from Joshua Little and Noor
Ahmad to have the opposition in trouble at 117-6 when Kohli was dismissed.Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who hit 21, and Swapnil
Singh, who made 15, made sure there was no more drama as they steered the team home in an unbeaten stand of 35.Bowlers set up victory after
pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj removed the openers early and Gujarat lost regular wickets to be bowled out for 147 in 19.3 overs.It was
Bengaluru&s fourth win and third on the bounce in 11 matches as they jumped from the bottom of the table to seventh and keep their slim
play-off hopes alive.Gujarat&s hopes are also hanging by a thread as they slumped to their seventh loss in 11 matches.Kohli, who reclaimed
the top batting spot with 542 runs, came out roaring as he hit Mohit Sharma for two sixes in the opening over of the chase and Du Plessis
soon joined in and moved ahead to raise his fifty in 18 balls.The South African veteran smashed 10 fours and three sixes in his 23-ball
blitz before being dismissed by Ireland left-arm quick Little.Little took two more wickets including Glenn Maxwell for four as Bengaluru
slipped to 107-4.Little sent back Cameron Green and then Noor&s left-arm wrist spin silenced the home crowd when he had Kohli caught behind,
but the hosts had the last laugh when Singh hit the winning six.Earlier put into bat, Gujarat went three down for 19 inside six over before
big-hitter Shahrukh Khan, who top-scored with 37, stood strong in a 61-run stand with David Miller, who hit 30 off 20 balls.Left-handed
Rahul Tewatia hit a 21-ball 35 and put on another key stand with Rashid Khan to add respect to the total.The post Du Plessis, Kohli help
Bengaluru stay in IPL play-off race first appeared on Ariana News.
