Virat Kohli continued his red-hot batting form on Wednesday to notch up his fourth century of the 2016 Indian Premier League, and helped Royal Challengers Bangalore to a thumping 82-run win over Kings XI Punjab in a rain-affected, much win game at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.


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The RCB skipper hit 113 off 50 balls to set up huge total of 211 in the 15-over match, with Chris Gayle contributing with 73 runs off 32 balls.


Kings XI Punjab's chase seemed to have got a start but quick wickets meant that the visitors were asked to do an impossible chase.


With one over left in the match, the rain returned and the result was decided in D/L method.


With the win, RCB have jumped to second place.


KINGS XI PUNJAB INNINGS; TARGET 212


Over 14 || Score 120/9 (Cariappa 12; S Sharma 5)


Chris Gayle on for his third over on the trot. 11 runs from it, and rain arrived again. Pity.


But RCB won the match by by 82 runs via DLS method.


Over 13 || Score 109/9 (Cariappa 4; S Sharma 2)


With the match in pocket, RCB have Sachin Baby on attack. A dot ball, then run out off the next ball.


WICKET: Mohit Sharma run out 14 (12b)


Four runs and a wicket from the over.


Over 12 || Score 105/8 (M Sharma 14; Cariappa 2)


Chris Gayle on for his second over. Nine runs from it as Mohit Sharma continued to play for himself. Mohit hit the third ball for a four through mid-wicket. And five more singles.


Over 11 || Score 96/8 (M Sharma 7; Cariappa 0)


Brilliant effort from Yuzvendra Chahal. Four-for for the leg spinner. Six runs and a wicket from his third over, for figures of 3-0-25-4.


WICKET: Gurkeerat Singh c Chris Gayle b Yuzvendra Chahal 18 (18b)


KC Cariappa is the new man.


Over 10 || Score 90/7 (Gurkeerat 17; M Sharma 2)


Chris Gayle on for RCB. Five singles and a leg bye from the part-time spinner.


Kings XI Punjab need another 122 runs from 30 balls.


Over 9 || Score 84/7 (Gurkeerat 14; M Sharma 0)


Two wickets from Yuzvendra Chahal's second over. Both caught by AB de Villiers.


WICKET: Farhaan Behardien c AB de Villiers b Yuzvendra Chahal 0 (1b)


WICKET: Kyle Abbott c AB de Villiers b Yuzvendra Chahal 0 (1b)


Both the batsmen getting out of first ball they faced.


Kings XI Punjab need another 128 runs from 36 balls.


Over 8 || Score 78/5 (Gurkeerat 8; Behardien 0)


Just a couple and a wicket as Shane Watson continued with his second over.


A single to Gurkeerat Singh Mann, then a dot ball.  It was followed by a skier from Axar Patel, resulting in a catch for Virat Kohli at long-off. Some pain, visibly, for the skipper. His webbing was torn during RCB's last match.


WICKET: Axar Patel c Virat Kohli b Shane Watson 13 (9b)


Farhaan Behardien is the new man.


Over 7 || Score 76/4 (Gurkeerat 6; Patel 13)


Bowling change. Virat Kohli introduced Varun Aaron and the India fast bowler conceded 17 runs in his first over.


A six over long-on, hit Axar Patel to start the over. A wide, then a four through mid-off. A single then a wide and short delivery dispatched by Gurkeerat Singh. A single, and a dot ball to end the 17-run over.


Over 6 || Score 59/4 (Gurkeerat 1; Patel 2)


One-way traffic in Bangalore. Third over with a wicket.


Shane Watson struck with his first ball, and thus David Miller's awful season continued. Easy catch at long-on for AB de Villiers.


WICKET: David Miller c AB de Villiers b Shane Watson 3 (6b)


Axar Patel is the new man. Five runs from the over, which included two wides also.


Over 5 || Score 54/3 (Miller 3; Gurkeerat 0)


Sreenath Aravind on for his second over. A single to David Miller, then a dot ball. A wide, then another single.


Hashim Amla hit the third legal ball for a six, then the wicket.


Good catch at mid-off by Chris Jordan.


WICKET: Hashim Amla c Chris Jordan b Sreenath Aravind 9 (6b)


10 runs and a wicket from the over.


Over 4 || Score 44/2 (Amla 3; Miller 1)


Spin on, and Yuzvendra Chahal was hit for three back-to-back fours before a not so convincing LBW decision from Marais Erasmus ended Wriddhiman Saha's promising start.


The ball seemed to be going down, and missed the leg stump. And even for the compulsory no-ball, check an inconclusive replay and hastily taken decision from Third Umpire Krishnamachari Bharatan seemed to have robed Saha a fair review.


WICKET: Wriddhiman Saha lbw b Yuzvendra Chahal 24 (10b)


13 runs from the over.


Over 3 || Score 31/1 (Amla 3; Saha 12)


Bowling change for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Chris Jordan on and 12 runs from the over.


A single to Hashim Amla, then a double as Wriddhiman Saha played a half-volley over cover. A dot ball, then two back-to-back fours.  A single to end the over.


Kings XI Punjab need another 181 runs from 12 overs.


Over 2 || Score 19/1 (Amla 2; Saha 1)


Sreenath Aravind shared the new ball with Stuart Binny, and a good one from the lanky pacer.


A dot ball, then a six from Murali Vijay over deep square leg. A dot before Vijay played on, for the first wicket of of the innings.


WICKET: Murali Vijay b Sreenath Aravind 16 (8b)


Wriddhiman Saha is the new man. Eight runs from the over.


Over 1 || Score 11/0 (Vijay 9; Amla 1)


Stuart Binny with the new ball, and Murali Vijay hit the first ball for a four. Over the mid-wicket fielder. And Virat Kohli put a fielder there.


Another four, as Vijay played inside out, and misfield from Sachin Baby at deep boundary.


A single, then a brilliant fielding from Sreenath Aravind at short fine leg stop a possible four from Hashim Amla's flick.


A single as Amla got off. A single more, and 11 runs from the over.



ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE INNINGS


Over 15 || Score 211/3 (Rahul 16; Watson 1)


Final over of the first innings, and a four to start it, with Lokesh Rahul playing a paddle shot  to beat the fielder at short fine leg. A single, then a dot ball.


A single, then a double. Rahul hit the last ball for a four — a reverse sweep.


12 runs from the over, and Mohit Sharma ended with figures of 3-0-33-0.


Over 14 || Score 199/3 (Rahul 5; Watson 0)


The legend of Virat Kohli story continued to grow. He's become an unstoppable force of nature.


Reached his fourth 100 of the season with a four, off 47 balls. Then, a huge over over deep mid-wicket, which was followed by an equally emphatic straight drive for a four.


Then, the skipper holed out at long-off. Catch well taken by David Miller.


WICKET: Virat Kohli c David Miller b Sandeep Sharma 113 (50b)


Sandeep Sharma thus leaked 18 runs from his last over, for figures of 3-0-29-1. Shane Watson is the new man.


Over 13 || Score 181/2 (Kohli 95; Rahul 5)


Mohit Sharma returned for his second over. And Virat Kohli took over the show. Three fours off the first three balls, then two singles.


Kohli took a single off the last ball to retain the strike. And he's on 95.


15 runs from the over.


Over 12 || Score 166/2 (Kohli 81; Rahul 4)


New over, but the hitting continued. A six to start Kyle Abott's third over, flat over long-on. A single, then a dot ball.


Then the wicket of AB de Villiers. Bowled. Lucky, as the batsman dragged the ball from outside off.


WICKET: AB de Villiers b Kyle Abbott 0 (2b)


TIME-OUT.


Then two wides to new man Lokesh Rahul to resume the proceedings. It was followed by a four as Virat Kohli hit through cover. A single, which was ruled out to be a no-ball too.


The over ended with a four. Punished. 19 runs from the over.


Over 11 || Score 147/1 (Kohli 69; de Villiers 0)


Another 18-run over. Axar Patel was hit for three sixes by Chris Gayle, but managed to got the wicket.


Gayle holed out at long-off with David Miller taking the catch.


WICKET: Chris Gayle c David Miller b Axar Patel 73 (32b)


New man is AB de Villiers.


Over 10 || Score 129/0 (Gayle 55; Kohli 69)


KC Cariappa on for his third over, and he was punished. Another 18-over runs. His figures 3-0-55-0.


And it was all Virat Kohli. A six to start the over, then two dots.


Then, two back-to-back sixes. Somehow, Cariappa managed to end the over with a dot ball.


Over 9 || Score 111/0 (Gayle 55; Kohli 51)


Axar Patel on for his second over and it proved to be a huge one. 18 runs.


A dot ball, then Virat Kohli took a single to reach his fifty, fastest of the season for him, off 28 balls.


Two wides followed, the a single.


It was followed by a six from Chris Gayle, then a wide. The over ended with another six. Gayle also reached his fifty.


RCB's best ever opening stand this season.


Over 8 || Score 93/0 (Gayle 42; Kohli 49)


Kyle Abbott returned for his second over. Good over from the South African medium pacer, until the third ball. Two singles off the first two deliveries, then a dot ball to Virat Kohli.


The RCB skipper played a lofted cover drive for the first four of the over off the next ball. A single, then a four from Chris Gayle to end the over. 11 runs from it.


Over 7 || Score 82/0 (Gayle 37; Kohli 43)


KC Cariappa returned for his second over, and he was walloped by Virat Kohli.


A single to to Chris Gayle to start the over, then...


4, 0, 0 , 6Nb, 6, 1... for 19 runs from the over. And all the boundaries coming from the blade of Kohli.


Over 6 || Score 63/0 (Gayle 36; Kohli 26)


Axar Patel on for Kings XI Punjab. Good start from the left-arm spinner. Two dot balls, then a single to Virat Kohli. A single followed, before Kohli played a lofted shot over cover for a four.


A lucky four through third man to end the 10-run over.


TIME-OUT.


Over 5 || Score 53/0 (Gayle 35; Kohli 17)


Another bowling change, and runs continued to flow, thick and fast.


KC Cariappa got a rather rude welcome from Chris Gayle with back-to-back boundaries — a six over deep mid-wicket, then a fiercely cut four behind square.


A single, then a sweetly timed six over bowler's head from Virat Kohli. A single, then a dot ball to end the 18-run over.


Over 4 || Score 35/0 (Gayle 24; Kohli 10)


Bowling change, and Kyle Abbott on for Kings XI Punjab. And thus arrived Chris Gayle.


A wide, back-to-back sixes — first over long-off, then over cover, then a four over, one bounce to cover boundary.


A single followed as he played towards deep mid-wicket, which was followed by a dot ball to Virat Kohli.


Some drama, as Kohli was sent back by Gayle after the former played towards cover. Axar Patel missed the chance with a direct throw.


18 runs from the over.


Over 3 || Score 17/0 (Gayle 7; Kohli 10)


Sandeep Sharma continued with his second over. A tidy over, considering how the batsmen were likely to attack the bowlers.


Two singles off the first four deliveries, then Virat Kohli hit back a straight drive over the bowler's head for a four.


A dot ball, and six runs from the over.


Over 2 || Score 11/0 (Gayle 6; Kohli 5)


As usual, Sharma's with the new ball for Kings XI Punjab. Mohit Sharma shared the new ball with Sandeep.


A single to Chris Gayle to start the over, then a dot ball, before Virat Kohli took a frenetic single. It was followed a four. A typical Gayle four, one bounce to mid-wicket boundary.


A slower delivery from Mohit and the over went for seven runs.


Over 1 || Score 5/0 (Gayle 1; Kohli 4)


Sandeep Sharma started the proceedings and a brilliant first over from the right-arm medium pacer. Four dot balls to keep Chris Gayle quiet, then a misfield at cover allowed a single to the batting side.


Then the class of Virat Kohli on show yet again. The RCB skipper stood tall, and punched through cover for a four. Brilliant timing. No signs of injury. Firm grip, and even better contact.


Match officials:


Umpires: Ananthapadmanabhan and Marais Erasmus
Third Umpire: Krishnamachari Bharatan
Match Referee: Manu Nayyar
Reserve Umpire: Abhijit Deshmukh


Here are the playing XIs:


Kings XI Punjab: Hashim Amla, Murali Vijay (capt.), David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Kyle Abbott, Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, Farhaan Behardien, KC Cariappa​​


Royal Challengers Bangalore: Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli (capt.), AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, Lokesh Rahul (wk), Sachin Baby, Stuart Binny, Chris Jordan, Varun Aaron, Sreenath Aravind, Yuzvendra Chahal


TOSS: Murali Vijay wins toss, and Kings XI Punjab will bowl first against Royal Challengers Bangalore. And it's a 15-over match.


Five minutes to cut off time to have a full 20-20 over game @ 9:20 pm local time. After that, the match will start losing overs.


Umpires will have an inspection at 9:25 pm local time. A game, albeit a shortened one.



Finally, rain stops.


In between, here's the remaining fixtures before the play-offs:


Match 51: Gujarat Lions vs Kolkata Knight Riders on May 19, Kanpur


Match 52: Delhi Daredevils vs Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 20, Raipur


Match 53: Rising Pune Supergiants vs Kings XI Punjab on May 21, Visakhapatnam


Match 54: Gujarat Lions vs Mumbai Indians on May 21, Kanpur


Match 55: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 22, Kolkata


Match 56: Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 22, Raipur


Cut off time, for a minimum of 5-over game, is 23:35 IST. And the condition in Bangalore is not so great. Toss was to be held at 7:30 pm. and the match was scheduled to begin at 8 pm.


It's a confusing state to be in for RCB. In case of rain spoiling the day, RCB will share points with Kings XI Punjab, then they can hope to finish with a maximum of 15 points, yes, with a win over Delhi Daredevils in their final league game.


Even with 15 points, RCB will have it tough qualifying for the play-offs. Sunrisers Hyderabad already have 16 points, and sitting at 14 are Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Lions.


Except, the defending champions, both KKR and GL have two matches remaining in their fixtures. And, don't discount Daredevils, also on 12 points with two games in hand.


Toss delayed!


And, it's raining cats and dogs in Bangalore.



The focus, despite the preeminent importance of team stakes, is on Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli. The sensational India batsman is probably at his most productive phase ad it was evident from his knocks this season.


After scoring 752 runs in 12 innings, including three hundreds, the 27-year-old has established himself as the undisputed leader when it comes to scoring.


But his team is facing a different predicament, and are fighting a spot in the play-offs. RCB need to win both their remaining matches, and today, Kings XI Punjab are the first obstacle in achieving that end.


For KXIP, it's about prestige. They are one of the two teams which have bowed out of the contention for the play-offs. A win today will boost their morale, and will get to sign off in style.


READ FULL PREVIEW HERE


SQUADS:


Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (capt.), Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, KL Rahul, Sachin Baby, Varun Aaron, Abu Nechim, Sreenath Aravind, Stuart Binny, Yuzvendra Chahal, Travis Head, Iqbal Abdullah, Kedar Jadhav, Chris Jordan, David Wiese, Akshay Karnewar, Sarfaraz Khan, Vikramjeet Malik, Mandeep Singh, Parveez Rasool, Harshal Patel, Kane Richardson, Tabraiz Shamshi, Vikas Tokas, Praveen Dubey.


Kings XI Punjab: Murali Vijay (capt.), Hashim Amla, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Gurkeerat Mann, Axar Patel, Marcus Stoinis, Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Anureet Singh, Manan Vohra, Shardul Thakur, Nikhil Naik, Mitchell Johnson, KC Cariappa, Farhan Behardien, Arman Jaffer, Kyle Abbott, Pardeep Sahu, Swapnil Singh, Mitchell Johnson.


Welcome to our live coverage of the Match 50 of 2016 Indian Premier League between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab, being played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.