SHARJAH: AB de Villiers smashed 73 not out off just 33 balls in a magnificent batting display to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to 194 for two against Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match here on Monday.
De Villiers looked effortless in finding the gaps, smashing six sixes and five fours in the company of skipper Virat Kohli (33 not out off 28 balls) as the duo put together an unbroken third wicket stand of 100 runs from 7.4 overs to take the team out of a middle-over muddle.
On a pitch that was slowing down, spinner Varun Chakravarthy bowled a tidy 0/25 from four overs, while young pacer Kamlesh Nagarkoti (0/36 from four overs) cleverly mixed up his deliveries with cutters to put brakes on RCB midway their innings.
Opener Aaron Finch (47 from 37 balls) looked sluggish in the middle and struggled to find boundaries before being castled by Prasidh Krishna.
With boundaries drying up, De Villiers unleashed his array of shots against a disciplined Nagarkoti, smashing him for consecutive sixes, over midwicket, one of which hit a running car.
The South African raced to his fifty in 23 balls as KKR cruised to 83 runs from the last five overs to prop up the total.
Earlier opting to bat, RCB openers Finch and Padikkal started off in a blazing fashion and took the attack on KKR new-ball bowlers Pat Cummins and Prasidh Krishna.
Finch clubbed one out of the stadium in Prasidh's first over, while the talented youngster Padikkal hit back-to-back boundaries off Cummins.
But boundaries soon dried up after the Power-Play with Russell giving the breakthrough by cleaning up Padikkal with a fuller delivery.
Bowling in absence of their ace spinner Sunil Narine who was left out after being reported for suspect action, Chakravarthy bowled a tidy spell.