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RCB win by 9 wickets as Gayle destroys MI

Chris Gayle smashed his way to an unbeaten 82 as Royal Challengers Bangalore crushed Mumbai Indians by nine wickets in their Indian Premier League match here on Wednesday.

Gayle remained quite in the early part of RCB run chase of 142 but exploded later on, hitting five fours and six sixes as the visitors romped home with two overs to spare after the visiting bowlers produced a disciplined show by restricting the home side to 141 for six at the Wankhede Stadium.

Gayle's 59-ball blitz was his fourth 80-plus knock this IPL season.

The West Indian reached his fifty with a huge six of Pragyan Ojha in the 11th over. He struck Ojha for three successive sixes in that over which saw the bowler conceding 22 runs. That over virtually changed the complexion of the game after Mumbai kept it tight, not allowing the match run away quickly to RCB's favour.

Gayle was though lucky early in his innings as he was dropped by Dwayne Smith off the bowling of R P Singh when he was on 21 in the sixth over and Mumbai paid a heavy price for that costly mistake.

Captain Virat Kohli, who struck a six to end the successful run chase, remained not out on 36 from just 25 balls while Tillakaratne Dilshan, with whom Gayle shared 48 runs for the first wicket, contributed 19 on a pitch which offered bounce and lateral movement.

Gayle and Kohli ensured the visitors' victory with an unfinished second wicket partnership of 94 runs in 58 balls.

With the win today, RCB jumped to fourth in the league table with 13 points from 12 matches, a rung behind MI and a point adrift.
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