Kohli And Gayle Blast Challengers Into The Final

Kohli And Gayle Blast Challengers Into The Final

Virat Kohli's unbeaten 84 sealed a six-wicket win for the Royal Challengers Bangalore

©REUTERS / Action Images

Royal Challengers Bangalore 204-4 (Gayle 92) beat
New South Wales 203-2 (Warner 123no) by 6 wickets
Champions League Twenty20 semi-final, Bangalore
Scorecard

For the second game in a row, the Royal Challengers Bangalore chased down more than 200 to beat an Australian side as they booked their place in the final of the Champions League Twenty20 with a six-wicket win over New South Wales.

David Warner scored his second straight century as the Blues made 203 for two but that proved inadequate as a 141-run partnership between Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli saw the Challengers home with nine balls to spare.

Warner hit a brilliant unbeaten 123 in 68 balls, hitting six fours and 11 sixes as New South Wales accelerated with devastating effect after Tillakaratne Dilshan had equalled Anil Kumble's record for the most economic spell in Champions League cricket with one for ten in four overs.

Warner was then given support by Daniel Smith, who made 62 in 42 balls as the pair put on 146 for the second wicket, which fell when Smith was bowled by Sreenath Aravind.

Dilshan then fell early in Bangalore's reply but that merely served to bring Gayle and Kohli together and in 11 overs they proceeded to tear the Australians apart.

Gayle hammered 91 in 41 balls with eight fours and eight sixes, one of which sailed out of the stadium while another bounced back off the roof.

Kohli was unbeaten on 84 in 49 deliveries having hit ten fours and three sixes and playing as majestically as he had when guiding his side to the point of victory in their final group game against South Australia.

Patrick Cummins (4-45) took two wickets in two ball when Gayle was trapped in front and Saurabh Tiwary was bowled but after Mayank Agarwal was caught behind, Kohli relieved the pressure that was building up by hitting Cummins for a six and two fours at the conclusion of the 18th over.

Mohammad Kaif then hit two fours in as many balls from the start of the penultimate set of six deliveries to seal the game.

The Royal Challengers will play the winner of the second semi-final between Mumbai Indians and Somerset in Chennai on 9th October.

© Cricket World 2011