IPL 2019, KXIP vs RCB: Chris Gayle’s 99* guides Kings XI Punjab to 173/4 against Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB, who are seeking their first win of the IPL 2019, will need their batsmen to come good to chase down this total.

The spin twin of Yuzvendra Chahal and Moeen Ali and pacer Navdeep Saini managed to keep things tight as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).restricted Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) to 173/4, despite Chris Gayle’s unbeaten 99, in the 28^th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Saturday. (IPL 2019, KXIP vs RCB: FOLLOW LATEST UPDATES)

Put in to bat, Gayle was once again at the forefront as KXIP made up for a watchful start in the first four overs and brought up their fifty in the final over of the powerplay, with Mohammed Siraj conceding as many as 24 runs in his first over and the fifth over of the match.

While Rahul looked to up the pace, Chahal got hum out stumped and followed it with a cracker of a delivery to end Mayank Agarwal’s innings. (ALSO READ: IPL 2019, KXIP vs RCB: Kohli wins toss, RCB elect to field, Umesh replaces Southee)

The West Indian, meanwhile, brought up his fifty as KXIP scored 90 off the first ten overs. However, even as their two pacers – Umesh Yadav and Siraj – leaked runs, Navdeep Saini played his part, alongside the spinners, to stem the flow of runs and despite not taking a wicket, returned with the figures of 0/23 in his four overs.

Gayle eventually fell short of his hundred by a run as he became only the second batsman after Suresh Raina to remain not out on 99 in IPL.

Brief scores: Kings XI Punjab 173/4 (Chris Gayle 99*, Lokesh Rahul 18; Yuzvendra Chahal 2/33) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore