Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Delhi Capitals by seven wickets on Friday after KS Bharat hit a six against Avesh Khan, taking his side over the finish line on the last delivery of the IPL 2021 encounter.
Bharat remained unbeaten on 78 off 52 balls at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium while Glenn Maxwell notched up 51* off 33. Skipper Virat Kohli described the game as an "unbelievable" one as he heaped praise on the Bharat-Maxwell show in death overs.
"Unbelievable game. We had nothing to lose, but it was a competitive game which is always the case in the IPL. To lose wickets and to still beat the team at the top of the table feels good. We have beaten them twice now. The way AB batted in the beginning and then with KS (Bharat) and Maxwell, in the end, was unbelievable," he said in the post-match presentation.
With this win, Bangalore finished the league stage with 18 points in 14 matches. They will face Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator in Sharjah on October 11.
Earlier, Delhi Capitals scored 164 for five. Sent into bat, Delhi were off to a flying start with openers Shikar Dhawan (43) and Prithvi Shaw (48) setting the tone by scoring 88 runs in just 10.1 overs.
"A win like this gives you the confidence. We have played well in Sharjah. We have been able to handle the conditions and keep the opposition in check if things have gotten away from us. We have the experience already and we need to utilize it as much as possible to keep moving on in this tournament," Kohli further said.
Bharat, who picked the Player of the Match trophy, dubbed it "incredible" to finish it off on the last ball. The wicketkeeper-batsman was looking at the right ball and opportunity to "hit it out."
"Great win on the last ball, and an incredible feeling to finish it off. Maxi and I just kept telling each other to watch that ball till the end. I wasn't nervous at any point and I was just looking for the right ball and the opportunity to hit it out. I have worked hard, I believe nothing comes for free. I work on my batting against spin. This will give us a lot of confidence," he said.
