Kohli Guides Bangalore Into Champions League Semis

Kohli Guides Bangalore Into Champions League Semis

Rahul Dravid (right) hits out as the Royal Challengers Bangalore beat the Lions in Johannesburg

©REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: SPORT CRICKET) Picture Supplied by Action Images

Royal Challengers Bangalore 160-4 (Kohli 49no) beat
Lions 159-6 (Petersen 45, Vinay Kumar 2-23) by six wickets
Champions League Group B, Johannesburg

The Bangalore Royal Challengers booked their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20 with a six-wicket win over the Lions in Johannesburg.

Virat Kohli's unbeaten 49 steered the Challengers into the last  four with an over to spare after they had been asked to chase 160 for victory.

Batting first, the Lions closed on 159 for six and Kohli's innings, which saw him face 29 balls, ensured Bangalore closed on 160 for four.

Alviro Petersen made 45 and Neil McKenzie 39 for the Lions but two wickets from Ranganath Vinay Kumar helped the Challengers prevent the Lions from posting an insurmountable score.

Openers Manish Pandey (44) and Rahul Dravid (33) then got the run chase off to the ideal start, and despite a wicket apiece for Cliff  Deacon, Richard Cameron and Aaron Phangiso, as well as the run out of Robin Uthappa for seven, Kohli finished off the match, hitting four fours and two sixes.

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