An unbeaten 91-run partnership between AB de Villiers and Iqbal Abdulla helped Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Gujarat Lions by four wickets and book their spot in the finals of the 2016 Indian Premier League yesterday.
After being put in to bat, Gujarat Lions had the worst possible start as they lost three wickets during the first four overs because of some brilliant bowling from Iqbal Abdulla. Dwayne Smith and Dinesh Karthik revived the innings with an 85-run stand but then Jordan got rid off Karthik, who scored 26 off just 30 balls.
Smith continued to attack as he played his trademark shots and guided his team to a fighting total. Shane Watson was the pick of the bowlers for RCB as he finished with the figures of 4/29.
In reply, Royal Challengers Bangalore lost five wickets inside the powerplay but AB de Villiers then anchored the chase and with good support from Iqbal Abdulla helped his team reach the finals of 2016 Indian Premier League.