By CricketCountry Staff
Chris Gayle clobbered a blistering unbeaten century to drive Royal Challengers Bangalore to an impressive nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens.
Published: Apr 22, 2011, 04:17 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 22, 2011, 04:17 PM (IST)
Kolkata are off to a brisk start against Bangalore
By CricketCountry Staff
Kolkata: Apr 22, 2011
Chris Gayle clobbered a blistering unbeaten century to drive Royal Challengers Bangalore to an impressive nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens.
He arrived at his hundred with a boundary off Shakib Al Hasan. His 102 came off 55 balls, studded with 10 fours and 7 sixes.
Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan raised a rollicking 123-run opening stand that set them on a firm footing in their chase of 172.
Dilshan and Gayle seized the initiative from the word go, dealing in boundaries.
It was Dilshan who was first to race off the blocks, collecting two fours of the first over of Yusuf Pathan before going on to sent two more to the fence of the bowling of Lakshimpathy Balaji.
Gayle who was off strike for the first few overs but soon, the left-hander got into the groove banging Jaidev Unadkat for a four and six in the 5th over.
The southpaw also singled out Shakib Al Hasan for some treatment – clobbering him for two big sixes over mid-wicket – his favourite region.
He raised his half-century off just 29 balls in the 9th over with another massive six over mid-wicket of Pathan.
Brief Scores: RCB 175 for 1 in 18.1 overs (Chris Gayle 98*, Tillakaratne Dilshan 38) bt KKR 171 for 5 in 20 overs (Gautam Gambhir 48, Yusuf Pathan 46, Jacques Kallis 40) by 9 wickets.
Pictures © Getty Images
