New Delhi: Punjab King rode on Jonny Bairstow (66 off 29 balls) and Liam Livingstone's (70 off 42 balls) pyrotechnics to defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 54 runs here on Friday and keep their play-off hopes alive. Invited to bat, Bairstow smashed four boundaries and seven sixes in his knock to start the Punjab Kings innings on an explosive note. His compatriot Livingstone then hammered five fours and four maximums at the back end to take Punjab Kings to 209 for 9.
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The Kings bowlers then rallied to limit RCB to 155 for nine to stay alive in the competition. Kagiso Rabada (3/21) snared three wickets, while Rahul Chahar (2/37) and Rishi Dhawan (2/36) accounted for two RCB batters each.
For RCB, death over specialist Harshal Patel (4/34) and spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (2/15) were the top bowlers.
Brief Score:
Punjab Kings 209 for 9 in 20 overs (Liam Livingstone 70, Jonny Bairstow 66; Harshal Patel 4/34 ,Wanindu Hasaranga 2/15)
Royal Challengers Bangalore 155 for 9 in 20 overs (Glenn Maxwell 35, Rajat Pitidar 26; Kagiso Rabada 3/21)
RCB playing XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood
PBKS playing XI: Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Mayank Agarwal (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh