(REUTERS) – Adam Gilchrist’s second Indian Premier League century kept Kings XI Punjab in the hunt for a play-off spot with a resounding 111-run win over table-toppers Royal Challengers Bangalore at Dharamsala.
Batting first, Punjab skipper Gilchrist (106 off 55 balls) and Shaun Marsh (79 off 49) notched the highest partnership in the history of the 20-over game, combining for 206 to help amass a total of 232 for two.
Bangalore were then bowled out for a measly 121, with Ryan Harris’ three for 28 and Piyush Chawla’s four for 17 engineering a collapse that saw the Royal Challengers’ seven-match winning streak come to an end in the 17th over.
Winning the toss, Gilchrist and Marsh took full advantage of a depleted Bangalore attack as the 50-partnership came off just 31 deliveries.
The duo regularly smashed both spin and pace to the boundary, with Gilchrist hitting seven sixes en route to a 25-ball half-century.
Marsh then sent Johan van der Wath for three sixes and three boundaries in the 15th over, before Gilchrist was at last caught off the penultimate ball of the innings.
Bangalore’s woes continued as danger man Chris Gayle fell in the second over to Harris, having failed to score off seven balls, followed quickly by the exits of Virat Kohli (11) and Saurabh Tiwary (six).
AB de Villiers (34) and Mohammad Kaif (15) attempted a rescue act with a 29-run stand but were always well behind the required rate as the latter was stumped by Chawla, who also bowled Arun Karthik (six).
Bangalore needed a near-impossible 149 off seven overs, as de Villiers’ futile innings was ended by Chawla .
The leg-spinner then had van der Wath trapped lbw, leaving Harris and Shalabh Srivastava the task of rounding up the tail.