Brilliant Bopara blasts Punjab to victory against royally challenged

KP failed again to live up to the aura created around his name . His lesser know fellowmate Ravi Bopara blasted the Kings XI Punjab to a seven-wicket win over the Bangalore Royal Challengers in their IPL match at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead in Durban on Friday.


Bopara carved his way to 84 off 59 balls with four fours and five sixes as Punjab scored 173 for three to win the match with six balls remaining.

Bopara, who had opened the innings for his team, initially played a circumspect innings as he used up 46 balls to reach his half-century but the right-hander cut loose after reaching his landmark before being caught at midwicket by Jesse Ryder off the bowling of Jacques Kallis to leave Punjab needing 11 runs off 11 balls and in sight of victory.

Bopara shared in a third-wicket stand of 66 off 34 balls with Yuvraj Singh and fittingly it was Yuvraj who ended the match in some style by belting a Kallis delivery over long-off for six as Yuvraj ended unbeaten on 30 off 17 balls.

Punjab had made a steady start to their innings as Bopara and Karan Goel (19) put on 52 runs off 40 balls before Goel was run-out attempting a second run after a fine throw from Vinay Kumar at third-man.

Kumar Sangakkara chipped in with 26 off 18 balls before Bopara and Yuvraj took control of the match.

Earlier, Kallis brought up a half-century of his own before Yusuf Abdulla snared four wickets as the Bangalore posted 168 for nine.

Kallis was aggressive from the start of his innings and he reached his fifty off 28 balls before he was caught at deep midwicket off the bowling of left-arm swing bowler Abdulla for 62 off 46 balls with five fours and two sixes. Abdulla finished the innings with figures of four for 31 off four overs.

Kallis shared in a fifth-wicket stand worth 61 off 37 balls with Ross Taylor, who scored 35 runs off 22 balls, which gave the Bangalore innings some substance after Abdulla had made early inroads into their batting line-up.

Bangalore’s decision to bat after winning the toss looked a good one as they raced to 48 for one after 5.1 overs thanks to 32 off 21 balls from opening batsman Ryder.

Abdulla then initiated a Bangalore mini-collapse when he removed Ryder and Kevin Pietersen in the space of three balls to reduce Bangalore to 48 for three before Kallis and Taylor’s rescue act.

Abdulla added Taylor’s wicket to his match haul, when he had the batsman caught at deep square-leg, as Abdulla captured career-best twenty20 figures.

Left-arm paceman Irfan Pathan took two wickets in the last over of Bangalore’s innings as he finished with figures of three for 35 from four overs.