Kohli's drop proves crucial as Miller scripts an unlikey win over RCB

Swashbuckling 38-ball unbeaten century by David Miller kept Kings XI Punjab's hopes alive as the home side fashioned an unlikely 6-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 51st match of the Indian Premier League 2013, being played in Mohali. (BCCI Image)

Earlier, another Chris Gayle masterclass - a 33-ball 61 - and late assault by AB de Villiers - 38 off 19 balls - propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore to 190/3 against Kings XI Punjab in the 51st match of the Indian Premier League 2013. (BCCI Image)

Cheteshwar Pujara, playing his first match of the season, too hit a solid fifty and was involved in a 102-run opening stand with Gayle. (BCCI Image)

Michael Neser (0/62) and Manpreet Gony (2/41) bore the brunt of RCB attack while Praveen Kumar (0/28), Parvinder Awana (1/28) and Piyush Chawla (0/26) were excellent on the day. Gony took the crucial wickets of Gayle and Pujara but was way too expensive at 2/41 in his 4 overs. (BCCI Image)

Bangalore batsmen Gayle and Pujara got off to a solid start without taking any risks. While India's Test No.3 was circumspect on his return from injury, the burly West Indian was in usual mode - picking and choosing deliveries to hit boundaries off. (BCCI Image)

Meanwhile, Praveen Kumar was again the pick of the bowlers to begin with for Punjab. His first couple of overs cost just 9 runs. (BCCI Image)

What the home side would have feared, came true in the fifth over as Michael Neser, unknown Aussie fast bowler, was smashed for a couple of sixes by Gayle in his very first over of IPL. His over cost 18 runs but more was to come in the next.
Pujara, who did not look at ease, hit Gony for three consecutive boundaries in the bowler's second over to grab the initiative for Bangalore as the visitors scored 58/0 in the powerplay. (BCCI Image)

Gony was quite expensive for Punjab but got them the crucial breakthrough of Gayle as the latter decided to open up after his half-century. Just after hitting the bowler for a smacking straight six, he went for another one the next ball. Gony though had bowled that one a bit shorter and went through his defenses. (BCCI Image)

Pujara, who had survived a run-out chance off Praveen Kumar, was then cleaned up in much the same fashion as Gayle to the same bowler, Gony, soon after his fifty. Gony went for 41 in his 4 but took two wickets to negate the Gayle effect somewhat. (BCCI Image)

Punjab then fought back hard with Kohli's wicket as Parvinder Awana bowled brilliantly to frustrate the batsman. Late hitting by Moises Henriques and De Villiers though ensured that Bangalore reach a daunting target. (BCCI Image)

De Villiers scored 38 off 19 balls while Henriques got 16 off 7 with late power-hitting to ensure a huge total for RCB. (BCCI Image)

Punjab did not have the best of starts chasing the huge total set up by Bangalore as they lost the in-form Shaun Marsh early on for 6. He drove uppishly off Ravi Rampaul only to hand a simple catch to De Villiers at extra cover. That dented the home side's hopes badly as the Aussie scored 73 off 51 balls in the team's last match against Chennai Super Kings. (BCCI Image)

Mandeep Singh, who has had an up and down IPL, then followed Marsh into the dug-out. Just after hitting a boundary, the Punjab batsman charged Vinay Kumar yet again only giving keeper Arun Karthik a simple catch to depart for 16. (BCCI Image)

Gurkeerat Singh Mann, sent up the order, was then joined by David Hussey and both proceeded to pacify Bangalore charge. The right-hander Gurkeerat did play a few classy strokes en route a run-a-ball 20 but with the pressure of the run-rate increasing by the minute, he faltered to a Murali Kartik straighter one. The youngster tried a slog sweep only to be caught plumb in front. (BCCI Image)

Hussey, who has had a forgettable season, then holed out to long-on to give Kartik his second as Bangalore stamped their authority over the match. (BCCI Image)

David Miller, the find of the season so far, then came to the crease and looked in prime form right from the word go. A boundary off Henriques got him going and he never looked back. Vinay's third over was dispatched for 16 runs as Miller cut loose. The South African then reached his 4th fifty of the season off just 24 balls. He was also given a life when on 41 by RCB skipper Kohli off Vinay. (BCCI Image)

The drop by Virat Kohli proved crucial in the end as Miller hit an unbelievable century off 38 balls to guide Punjab to a comfortable win with 2 overs to spare. (BCCI Image)

Miller and R Sathish added 130 in 8.1 overs as Punjab scripted an unlikely win after being down and out for most of the game. With this, they also kept hopes alive of a shock entry into the last four. (BCCI Image)