Sharma, Kohli power Bengaluru into IPL qualifier
Royal Challengers Bengaluru stormed into Qualifier 1 of the IPL playoffs after a thrilling six-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday, chasing down 228 with eight balls to spare in the final league match of the season.
Stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma produced a match-winning unbeaten 85 off just 33 balls, including eight fours and six sixes, while Virat Kohli laid the foundation with a fluent 54 off 30 deliveries.
“I will not be able to express my thoughts, I can’t believe I played that knock,” said Sharma, who was named player of the match. “When Virat bhai was out, I was just thinking of taking it deep.”
Kohli, 36, became the first player to score over 9,000 runs for a single team in men’s T20s, extending his all-time tally for Bengaluru. He shared a 61-run opening stand with Phil Salt before wickets briefly halted the chase. Will O’Rourke dismissed Rajat Patidar and Liam Livingstone in successive deliveries, but Sharma, partnered by Mayank Agarwal (41*), guided the team home.
Earlier, Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 118 off 61 balls lifted Lucknow to 227-3. Promoted to number three, Pant shared a 152-run stand with Mitchell Marsh (67) and reached his century in 54 balls but it wasn’t enough to secure victory for his side.
(Source: AFP)
