Safford's 53 off 14 balls, the second fastest half-century in the IPL
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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) saw off the challenge of Chennai Super Kings in a dramatic match to climb to the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
RCB beat Chennaiyin by 2 runs at their home ground M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. In the last over, Chennai needed 15 runs to win. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja scored 1 each in the first two balls. Yash Dayal's LBW dismissal of Dhoni in the third ball strengthened RCB's chances.
But Shivam Dubey, who came in as an impact player, hit a six off the fourth ball, which was also a no ball.
Chennai needed to score 6 runs in 3 balls. Also had a free hit. But Dubey could score only 1 run in the free hit. In the next 2 balls, after Jadeja and Dubey scored only 1-1 runs, Chennai, who got a target of 214 runs, lost 5 wickets and scored only 211 runs.
RCB cemented their lead in Qualifier 1 with a dramatic victory. RCB has scored 16 points in 11 matches. Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans are second and third with 14 points each. The top four teams of the 10-team IPL will qualify for the playoffs, while the top two teams will play in the qualifiers. Chennai are already out of the playoff race. Having suffered their ninth loss in 11 matches, Chennai is at the bottom with 4 points.
17-year-old Ayush Mhatre scored 94 runs from Chennai. Saik Rashid scored 14 off 11 balls and Sam Karan scored 5 runs while Mhatre and Jadeja shared 114 runs with 64 balls for the third wicket. Mhatre, who is playing only his fourth match in Twenty20, hit 9 fours and 5 sixes in 48 balls. Jadeja remained unbeaten on 73 off 45 balls. He hit 8 fours and 2 fours. Mhatre and Dewald Brevis were dismissed by Lungi Ngidi in successive balls. Dhoni scored 12 runs off 8 balls with 1 six. Ngidi spent 30 runs in 4 overs and Krunal Pandye and Dayal took 1 wicket each.
Earlier, RCB made a score of 213-5 with openers Jacob Bethall and Virat Kohli's half-centuries and Romario Sephard's aggressive batting. Bethal and Kohli put on 97 runs in 10 overs to get RCB off to a great start. Bethal scored 55 off 33 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes and Kohli scored 62 runs off 33 balls with 5 fours and 6 sixes.
But at the end of 18 overs, the team reached the score of 157-5. This is where Shephard came into his own. He hit Khalil Ahmed for 33 runs in the 19th over with 4 sixes and 2 fours. In the last over, after Shephard hit 2-2 fours and a six off Mathisa Pathirana, RCB added a total of 21 runs in that over.
Shephard scored 53 runs off 14 balls by hitting a six off the last ball. The record for the fastest half-century in the IPL is in 13 balls, which was scored by Rajasthan's Yashasvi Jaiswal against Kolkata Knight Riders two years ago. Shephard hit 4 fours and 6 sixes in 14 balls. Pathirana took 3 wickets for 36 runs in 4 overs. But Ahmed spent 65 runs in 3 overs.
