Kohli's RCB romp to 10-wicket demolition

The result: Kings XI Punjab 10-88 (Finch 26, Umesh 3-23) lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore 0-92 (Kohli 48no, Parthiv 40no) by ten wickets with 71 balls remaining.

The match in a tweet: Kings XI Punjab demolished for their second lowest-ever total, losing their spot in the top four and leaving door open for Bangalore on horror night! #KXIPvRCB

The implosion: Kings XI had a slice of luck early when Chris Gayle (18) was dropped by the man with the gloves early in the first innings. From there, he and KL Rahul (21) combined for four boundaries and three sixes in a 36-run opening stand. When both departed to boundary line catches, the wheels fell off for Punjab, losing ten wickets for just 52 runs. Even more remarkably, after a mini fightback by Aaron Finch (26) injected some life into the lineup, they lost their final five wickets for just 10 runs, a collapse that included three run outs, the most in this edition of the IPL.

The stats: Bangalore’s domination of the Kings XI saw the Punjab side drop out of the top four and lose a hefty chunk of their all-important percentage. Their score of 88 was the second lowest of the season – after Mumbai were bowled out for 87 against Sunrisers Hyderabad – and the franchise’s second lowest of all time. Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel combined for an unbeaten-92 at the top of the Royal Challengers order, their side’s highest opening stand of the season and the highest against Kings XI in IPL 11. This is now the third 10-wicket victory in Bangalore history; no other side has achieved this feat more than once.

The playoffs scenario: Ravi Ashwin’s Kings XI could have all-but sewn up a spot in the final quartet with victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore but instead see themselves outside of the top four for the first time this season. Abnormally, seven of the eight franchises are still in with a mathematical chance to feature in the playoffs, the Bangalore win tonight giving them a stunning percentage boost that could come in handy should they win their remaining two fixtures. Kolkata play Rajasthan on Tuesday with the result to have major ramifications for both Punjab and Bangalore, Kings XI able to jump back into the four should Rajasthan succumb by more than 60 runs.

The next stop: Kings XI head to the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday in a must-win clash with the Mumbai Indians, whilst Royal Challengers Bangalore host ladder-leaders Sunrisers Hyderabad, a win keeping them alive in the competition and a loss spelling the end of the campaign for Virat Kohli’s side.

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