1956dThe Report by Nitin Sundar

Last-ball six takes RCB into semis

Arun Karthik produced the six most important runs of his 15-match Twenty20 career off the last ball of the CLT20 league phase to propel Royal Challengers Bangalore past South Australia Redbacks in a game that had everything except for a Super Over finish

Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

DJ Harris
108(61) 17x4 - 2x6
Control %68%
  • Productive Shot
  • off side drive on front foot
  • 35 runs
  • 6x4 - 0x6
10 0 9 8 19 25 14 23
TM Dilshan
TM Dilshan
74(47) 9x4 - 2x6
Control %58%
  • Productive Shot
  • off side drive on front foot
  • 17 runs
  • 1x4 - 0x6
4 11 16 12 10 2 7 12

Best performances - Bowlers

SW Tait
SW Tait
O4
M0
R32
W5
Eco8.00
RHB
OFFLEG
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
J Syed Mohammad
O4
M0
R29
W1
Eco7.25
RHB
OFFLEG
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH

Scorer: Gopi Rangarajan | Commentator: Sidharth Monga

END OF OVER:
20 | 14 Runs 1 Wkt | RCB: 215/8 | RR: 10.75

  • Arun Karthik6 (2b)
  • Sreenath Aravind6 (3b)
  • Dan Christian4-0-44-1
  • Shaun Tait4-0-32-5

That brings us to the end of an incredible T20 game, one where 215 was successfully chased through a last-ball six, hit by a man who took his career tally to 232 with that hit. Thanks for joining us. Don't miss when Warner, Watson, Gayle and Dilshan test this pitch further in the first semi-final

Virat Kohli has won the MoM award. He says: "Top of the table. Never been in such an exciting T20 match all my life. I had my eyes closed on the last ball. We were sitting upstairs, and thought if Chris and Dilshan could bat five or six overs, we had a fair chance. I was calm and relaxes, but of course you can't stay assured chasing 215."

Dan Vettori: "Pretty amazing game of cricket. One thing about this ground is you can chase anything here. Always things you can do well, the last five overs were really poor. Harris and Callum and Dan Christian batted extremely well. The dew does change this wicket. The new ball turns a bit, but once it becomes soft, it's really difficult. However, the class of the batsmanship coupled with the wicket was amazing."

Callum Ferguson, standing in for Klinger who injured himself while catching Gayle: "Obviously disappointing to not defend 214. Dan Harris and Dan Christian batted well, Tait came back with the ball and went bang bang bang, but Virat and Dilshan batted beautifully. We were backing our bowlers to execute despite the dew, disappointed not to do that. Tait takes a lot wickets at a good strike-rate, the value he brings to our side is amazing."

As RCB go ecstatic, spare a thought for South Australia. They have a centurion, one of them took five wickets, and yet they lost last ball. How much did the lbw against Dilshan cost them? How much did that drop off Kohli cost them? Dilshan went onto hit at least one six after that reprieve. All this shouldn't take away from this uninhibited chase from Bangalore, who never let the asking rate get out of hand

This is the fifth-highest successful chase in all Twenty20 cricket, and the highest in all Champions league matches

Oh hello. RCB have drawn NSW for the semi-final at Bangalore. That's Watson, Warner, Gayle, Dilshan, Kohli on this ground

Arun Karthik, still struggling for breath, says, "I just kept it simple, I waited for it to arrive. I knew it was going to be a slower ball, I waited and then gave it my all." Too many slower balls as I said. Too predictable

A sea of red descends on the stadium, and that's red with gold sleeves and not black. Kohli is relived. Plucks a stump out. Karthik is yet to come down off his high. He gets a hug from the coach and the owner. RCB, RCB reverberates around the stadium. Bangalore have been a wonderful audience. They applauded Harris's century too, which can't be said of many Indian crowds. And when their team were on a roll, they went absolutely berserk

19.6
6
Christian to Arun Karthik, SIX, Arun Karthik you beauty. Too many slower balls. Karthik is expecting it. Slog-sweeps it, like you would a spinner. Sends it twenty rows over midwicket. Will South Australia regret not trying to run him out previous ball?

Six required off the last ball. Damn we can't get a tie here

19.5
1b
Christian to Aravind, 1 bye, slower wide half-volley, brave brave ball, Aravind swings, misses, they steal the bye. The keeper lets them take it
19.4
2
Christian to Aravind, 2 runs, he goes down the ground this time, mistimes the slower ball, it bounces short of long-on. They sneak a couple

This is your chance Aravind. Get nine runs, all will be forgotten

19.3
4
Christian to Aravind, FOUR, slower ball, on a length, Aravind moves across, scoops this over short fine

Aravind is the new batsman. He has some runs to make up for

19.2
W
Christian to Arun Karthik, OUT, slower ball, Karthik slogs, hit on the pad, they want a leg-bye, the keeper takes his time to hit the stumps down. Another wicket gone

J Syed Mohammad run out 2 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 100.00

"Tait such a strange one. Either winning you the match or losing it. No in between." Garreth, somehow I feel modern culture doesn't appreciate such characters

19.1
1
Christian to Syed Mohammad, 1 run, slower ball, outside off, can just get a single to short third

Christian to bowl the last over. Normally a reliable man

  • Twenty20 is cricket too

    Why is the format looked down upon? The skills it calls for are different from those in Test cricket, but they're skills all right

  • A barrage of fours, and the late first six

    Plays of the Day from the Champions League T20 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and South Australia

  • 'The best T20 match of my life' - Kohli

    Virat Kohli played his finest Twenty20 innings but it was the little-known Arun Karthik who delivered the knockout blow

  • Last-ball six takes RCB into semis

    Arun Karthik produced the six most important runs of his 15-match Twenty20 career off the last ball of the CLT20 league phase to propel Royal Challengers Bangalore past South Australia Redbacks in a game that had everything except for a Super Over finish

RCB 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st65TM DilshanCH Gayle
2nd100TM DilshanV Kohli
3rd18TM DilshanSS Tiwary
4th7TM DilshanMA Agarwal
5th9DL VettoriTM Dilshan
6th1DL VettoriRR Bhatkal
7th0RR BhatkalKB Arun Karthik
8th2J Syed MohammadKB Arun Karthik
9th13S AravindKB Arun Karthik

Champions League Twenty20

Group A
TeamMWLPTNRR
NSW43160.627
MI4215-0.28
T&T42240.176
COBRA41230.229
CSK4132-0.712
Group B
TeamMWLPTNRR
SOM4215-0.557
RCB42240.325
KKR42240.306
WAR42240.246
SOA4123-0.533
Qualifying Tournament Pool A
TeamMWLPTNRR
SOM22040.3
KKR2112-0.225
AUCK2020-0.075
Qualifying Tournament Pool B
TeamMWLPTNRR
T&T22041.659
RU2112-0.275
LEICS2020-1.375