Bangalore record 17-run win over Pune

PUNE: Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Pune by 17 runs in an interesting day/night match of the Indian Premier League here at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on Thursday.

Opting to bat, Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 187 for three and then restricted Pune Warriors to 170 for nine in 20 overs despite a fine 75 by Robin Uthapa.

Saurabh Tiwary made a fine 52 before A B de Villiers' quick-fire unbeaten 50 propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore to a challenging 187 for three against Pune Warriors in a Pepsi Indian Premier League match here today.

Asked to open the batting, Tiwary stood up to his captain's call and held together RCB's innings with a fine half-century that came off 45 balls and was studded with two fours and as many sixes.

But it took a brilliant improvised innings from De Villiers towards the rear phase of the innings to steal the limelight from Tiwary.

The South African took the Pune bowlers for a leatherhunt and scered his 50 off just 23 balls with the help of six boundaries and two sixes to take RCB past the 180-run mark which at one stage looked bleak.

In Moises Henriques (27 off 13), De Villiers found an able partner. The duo smacked took the Pune bowlers for a task and shared unbeaten 68 runs for the fourth wicket in just 4.5 overs.

De Villeiers showed great improvisation and scored a whopping 26 runs off Ashok Dinda in the final over to finish off RCB's innings in style.

Poor Dinda came under De Villiers' wrath as he hit the ordinary-looking pacer for 6,4,6,4,4 and two runs in the final over of the innings.

However, opting to bat, RCB did not have the best of starts as Chris Gayle and Tiwary found the going tough against Pune's disciplined opening attack.