Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Lions, IPL 2016: Virat Kohli-AB de Villiers’ fourth 100-plus stand and other statistical highlights

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers were yet again in thick of the action, as their 229-run stand helped RCB register the highest team total of IPL 9.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) trounced Gujarat Lions (GL) by 144 runs in Match 44 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 at Bengaluru. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers were yet again in thick of the action, as their 229-run stand helped RCB register the highest team total of IPL 9. Moreover, this was only the second time two batsmen plundered hundreds in the same T20 innings. Indeed, with fours and sixes, records were raining as well. RCB need to win their next 3 contests to qualify for the IPL 9 playoffs. Let us walk through the highlights of this beauty of a contest: READ MORE: IPL 2016: Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Gujarat Lions by 144 runs, Stars and Flops

Virat Kohli’s 3rd T20 ton: At the start of IPL 9, Kohli had never scored a century in the shortest format of the game. After 11 matches of IPL 2016, he becomes the first player to score three hundreds in a single IPL season. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” AB de Villiers had asked when Kohli hit 30 runs off Kaushik’s over. Until then, no one thought Kohli would reach the three-figure mark. Kohli had neither shimmied down the track nor slog. He waited for the delivery and played the strokes accordingly. While de Villiers might have been more spectacular with his power-hitting, there is no beating Kohli’s class so far in the tournament. READ MORE: Twitterati hail King Kohli for his third ton in IPL 9

AB de Villiers and his magical power-hitting: De Villiers scored the fifth-fastest hundred in IPL history, off just 43 balls. ‘Mr 360′ went all guns blazing and hit the ball all over the park. This is the third IPL ton for de Villiers, and his fastest T20 century so far. Of course, given that he has hit a 31-ball century in ODIs, this was nowhere near his best!

Another 200-plus stand for Kohli and de Villiers: This was the first 200-stand and fourth 100-plus stand for these swashbuckling batsmen in IPL 9. Their 100-plus stands in IPL 9 so far have been: 157 (87) vs SRH, 107 (65) vs DD, 155 (95) vs RPS, 229 (96) vs GL. However, the duo also once shared a 215-run unbroken stand in IPL 2015, for RCB against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Mumbai. That was the highest-ever partnership in IPL — a record they broke today.

Highest team score of IPL 9: RCB put up 248 runs on the scoreboard, which is the highest by any team in IPL 9. Overall, it is the second-highest team total overall in IPL. The three highest team totals in IPL: RCB 263 for 5 in IPL 6, RCB 248 for 3 in IPL 9, Chennai Super Kings 246 for 5 in IPL 3.

Chris Jordon takes four-for: Chris Jordon did what the GL bowlers could not do: take wickets. He scalped Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja off successive balls before taking out Praveen Kumar and Dhawal Kulkarni to register his maiden IPL four-for.

Biggest-ever victory margin: RCB won by 144 runs, which is the biggest ever win in terms of margin of victory. Previously, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had the record to their name when they won the opening match of IPL 2008 against RCB by 140 runs.

The article first appeared in CricketCountry.

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