Agency, May 17: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru became the first team to qualify for the playoffs of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after defeating Punjab Kings by 23 runs on Sunday afternoon.
Chasing a massive target of 223 runs, Punjab Kings could only manage 199/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Shashank Singh fought hard with an impressive half-century, scoring 56 runs off 27 balls with the help of four boundaries and four sixes. Marcus Stoinis and Cooper Connolly contributed 37 runs each, while Suryansh Shedge added 35 and Azmatullah Omarzai scored 14, but their efforts were not enough to secure victory.
For Bengaluru, Rasikh Salam starred with three wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed two. Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, and Romario Shepherd picked up one wicket each.
Earlier, after losing the toss and being asked to bat first in Dharamshala, Bengaluru posted a commanding total of 222/4 in 20 overs. Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli both smashed brilliant half-centuries to lead the innings.
Iyer remained unbeaten on 73 runs off 40 balls, striking eight fours and four sixes, while Kohli scored 58 off 37 deliveries, including four boundaries and three sixes. Devdutt Padikkal chipped in with 45 runs, Tim David added 28, and Jacob Bethell contributed 11.
For Punjab, Harpreet Brar took two wickets, while Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal grabbed one each.
With the victory, Bengaluru remain at the top of the table with 18 points from 13 matches and became the first team to book a place in the playoffs. Punjab, meanwhile, stay fourth with 13 points from the same number of games, suffering their sixth consecutive defeat.
