Not since the inaugural game of the IPL in 2008 has an innings as brutal as what was depicted at the Chinnaswamy Stadium been experienced in the history of T20 and certainly not in the IPL. In that contest, six years ago, Kiwi Brendon McCullum, opening for KKR thrashed the RCB bowlers mercilessly to post 158. But on Tuesday evening, the terms ‘brutality’ or ‘pulverising’ lost their meaning and became understatements as Chris Gayle launched into the Pune Warriors India bowlers, cracking the fastest century in the history of T20 cricket, his 100 taking just 30 deliveries, as RCB, who posted a mammoth 263, carved out a huge 130-run victory at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday.
The carnage did not end there as the big West Indian was still not finished! Runs flowed as freely as like water from a broken pipe. Gayle chose his spots to deposit the ball, the bowler or the kind of bowler mattering little. Conceit and disdain are the apt words to use for the way Gayle treated the visitors, hammering 17 sixes, the highest number by any batsman in this format, and 13 fours, his unbeaten 175 coming in all of 66 deliveries.
In all his hammering, the effort of Dilshan (33) and the 8-ball 30 from AB de Villiers were pushed well behind the lights. Chasing an improbable 264, PWI lost Robin Uthappa (0) in the very first over bowled by Murali Kartik. Finch (18) showed aggression smashing RP Singh for two boundaries before Ravi Rampaul had him caught by Kartik at mid-off. Wright (7) hit the first six for PWI dispatching Rampaul over long-off before perishing to Jaydev Unadkat. Unadkat then had Yuvraj Singh (16) caught by Kohli to leave PWI reeling at 42 for 4.
Steve Smith hit a couple boundaries in the 8th over as he and Marsh waged a lone fight. Smith (41) finally fell off Rampaul when he attempted to pull but found the man at the midwicket fence. Marsh (24) hit a six off Unadkat in the 15th over before Vinay Kumar messed his stumps. Gayle picked up two in the last over as PWI eventually fell 130 runs short. Man-of-the-match: Chris Gayle Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore: 263 for 5 (Chris Gayle 175*, Ashok Dinda 2-48) defeated Pune Warriors India 133 for 9 (Steve Smith 41, Chris Gayle 2-5) by 130 runs.
