Royal Challengers Bangalore Ross Taylor came up with a stunning innings at the SuperSport Park here on Tuesday to sink Kolkata Knight Riders' aspirations of salvaging some pride on their way out of the DLF Indian Premier League tournament. He made an unbeaten 81 off a mere 33 balls to pull the rug from under the Knight Riders' feet.
Chasing a steep 174-run target, Royal Challengers Bangalore were 70 for two at the Strategic Break and when Robin Uthappa swung Murali Kartik down the mid-wicket fielder's throat in the 11th over without adding much, the challenge got steeper. But Taylor was up to the task as he decimated the Knight Riders attack.
It seemed a lost cause when Rahul Dravid was caught and bowled by Ajantha Mendis in the 16th over but Taylor and Mark Boucher saw the side home in dramatic fashion. Ajit Agarkar was creamed for 28 runs in two overs while Ishant Sharma was inflicted memories of an 18-run over that included a pulled six off a waist-high full toss.
Boucher, who has a great reputation as a finisher, was privileged to watch Taylor unleash mayhem on unsuspecting bowlers. Taylor outscored Boucher 3:1 as he picked up two sixes off Agarkar and one each off Ishant Sharma and Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Matthews who was picked ahead of Bangaldesh's Mashrafe Mortaza.
Simply, stated it was dazzling fireworks in the day as Taylor showcased anticipation, timing and a sense of placement in generous measures to frustrate Kolkata Knight Riders who looked like they would halt a streak of six successive defeats. Instead, the fast bowlers undid the good work done by Kartik and Mendis and Taylor was able to turn the game on its head.
Earlier, Brendon McCullum played his best innings in IPL 2009 to spur Kolkata Knight Riders to their biggest score this season. After a watchful start when David Hussey kept the scorers busy, the beleaguered captain was at his creative best as he took the Royal Challengers bowling apart. McCullum led the way as his team made 105 runs from their 10 overs after the break.
The victory kept Royal Challenger Bangalore in the crowded race for a place in the semifinals. With 10 points from 11 games, the team occupied the fifth place in the table ahead behind Delhi Daredevils (14 points from nine matches), Chennai Super Kings (13 from 10), Deccan Charges (12 from 10) and Rajasthan Royals (11 from 11) before the second game of the night.
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