Gayle blitz powers Bangalore to 215 – IPL 2012

20 overs Royal Challengers Bangalore 215 for1 (Gayle 128*, Kohli 73*) v Delhi Daredevils
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Chris Gayle started slowly. He played out a maiden against Umesh Yadav, was scoreless for eight consecutive balls, and was one off nine deliveries. He let Virat Kohli provide the initial propulsion after Tillakaratne Dilshan fell early. Gayle was biding his time. And when that time came, Gayle began to launch an assault that endangered people in the stands, pummelling Delhi Daredevils into submission. By the time the innings ended, with Gayle on 128 off 62 deliveries, he had hit 13 sixes, giving Royal Challengers Bangalore a terrific chance of staying in the competition and boosting their net run-rate.

Royal Challengers needed to win this game to draw level with Chennai Super Kings on points, move ahead of Kings XI Punjab, and pull further away from Rajasthan Royals. Defeat would have been debilitating to their campaign, so Gayle and Kohli chose the perfect situation for a 204-run partnership. The absence of Morne Morkel, who was rested from Daredevils’ attack because the hosts had already qualified, was telling. They will now have to chase the season’s highest total without the indisposed Virender Sehwag.

Royal Challengers were only 42 for 1 after six overs, when the fielding restrictions were lifted. Gayle had hit no sixes by then. His first was in the eighth over, when he lofted Andre Russell over the long-on boundary. At the end of the ninth over, both Gayle and Kohli were on 27, off 25 and 23 balls respectively. Kohli had been far more fluent with his flicks through midwicket and drives off the back foot.