Fri, 29 Apr 2011 - IP Bangalore vs IP Pune, IPL 2011, 35th Match - Bulletin

Bangalore thrash Pune for hat trick of victories

Following the brutal act with the bat, Bangalore displayed inspiring show with ball and in the field to thrash Pune by 26 runs. The win, their third in a row, takes home team to second position in the points table after overcoming a string of poor performances in the second and third week of the IPL.

Chasing a mammoth target of 182, Pune did threaten twice to have a real dash at the total courtesy Jesse Ryder and Yuvraj Singh blitz. Bangalore, however, came strongly at both the occasions to claim crucial wickets puncturing Pune pursuit big time.

Losing an early wicket of struggling Tim Paine, Pune did provide some fight through Ryder’s 51 coming off 34 balls but Manish Pandey’s dawdling show mounted pressure on visitors. While Ryder was going great guns at one end, Pandey struggled to get the boundary away resulting in required rate increasing all the time.

In pursuit of big shots, the duo fell in a quick succession bringing Yuvraj and Robin Uthappa in the thick of the action. Pune skipper reignited his team’s hopes by hitting three big sixes and two fours in his 23-ball stay for 41 but Zaheer Khan showed his class by removing his Indian teammate to end any chances of Pune’s triumph.

Skipper Daniel Vettori was again the pick of the bowlers removing Pandey and conceding only 23 runs in his four over quota when others were going for plenty.

The hitting action at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore started with a thump through the covers by Tilkeratne Dilshan that went for a four before Chris Gayle unleashed his own brand of violence on the Pune bowlers. Kamran Khan was particularly targeted bleeding 47 runs from just three at a staggering more than 15 runs per over.

Another victim of the Bangalore violence was Jerome Taylor but the assailant this time was Virat Kohli, 24 runs coming off the 18th over bowled by the West Indian pacer.

Even though Rahul Sharma’s gentle leg spin yielded the wickets of Dilshan and Gayle in fairly a quick succession but Bangalore never let the foot never come of the accelerator. Virat Kohli combined first with AB de Villiers to add 66 runs in 46 balls and then the flourish was provided by Saurabh Tiwary, who hit a couple of lusty blows.

Gayle was in a murderous mood taking liking to Kamran depositing the rookie fast bowlers for all of his four sixes. Left hander gave home crowd lot to cheer about as he muscled his way to 49 runs hitting four boundaries in his 26-ball before becoming second victim of Sharma courtesy a poor call from the umpire.

Pune’s miseries didn’t end with Gayle’s wicket as Kohli unfurled some terrific strokes and in company of de Villiers (26) provided home team a strong platform. Kohli was on attack all the time hitting four fours and as many sixes in 42-ball stay for his 67 and on the way overtaking Sachin Tendulkar for the orange cap. It was Taylor who had to bear major brunt of Kohli’s assault as right hander looted 24 runs of West Indian fast bowler.

Pune bowlers succumbed to Bangalore batting heroics with only Alfonso Thomas having bowling figures of some impression giving away 23 runs in his four.