Gayle sizzles with 96, Russell slams cameo but Narine goes wicketless

Sun, Apr 12, '15

CHENNAI, India (CMC) — Superstar opener Chris Gayle narrowly missed out on a hundred, upstaging West Indies teammate Sunil Narine who again went wicketless, as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders by three wickets here yesterday.

Opting to bowl first, RCB restricted Knight Riders to 177 for six from their 20 overs, and then successfully chased down their target with six balls remaining, with Gayle smashing 96 from 56 deliveries.

The left-hander, who ruled himself out of the Test series against England because of fitness issues, hammered seven fours and seven sixes, to guide the RCB run chase.

He was one of only three batsmen in double figures and one of two to pass 20, as South African AB de Villiers hit 28 from 13 deliveries and Gayle's opening partner, captain Virat Kohli, got 13.

In fact, RCB struggled with partnerships, with the highest being a seventh-wicket stand of 38 between Gayle and Harshal Patel (9 not out).