CHANDIGARH: Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal hit half-centuries to steer Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a seven-wicket win over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.
Chasing 158 for victory, Bengaluru were propelled by a 103-run second-wicket stand between Kohli, who made an unbeaten 73, and Padikkal to reach their target with seven balls to spare at Mullanpur, near Chandigarh.
Bengaluru avenged their loss to Punjab at home on Friday and the two teams, both seeking their first IPL title, are level on points.
The in-form Kohli, 36, struck his fourth half-ton of the season and surpassed Australia’s David Warner for the most 50-plus scores in the popular T20 tournament.
Kohli has now made it past the 50-mark 67 times, including eight centuries.
Left-handed Padikkal made 61 off 35 balls, his first fifty of the season, after Bengaluru lost opener Phil Salt in the first over to Arshdeep Singh.
Padikkal fell to Harpreet Brar, leaving Kohli to play the anchor in a 54-ball knock laced with seven fours and a six.
Bengaluru spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma took two wickets each to set up victory as they helped restrict Punjab to 157-6.
Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh started aggressively in an opening stand of 42 before Pandya was introduced in the fifth over.
The left-arm spinner struck with his second ball to send back Arya for 22.
Pandya struck again in his next over to dismiss Prabhsimran, who hit 33 off 17 balls, and finished with figures of 2-25.
West Indies fast bowler Romario Shepherd, in his first Bengaluru outing this season, had skipper Shreyas Iyer out for six and Nehal Wadhera was run out soon after.
England’s Josh Inglis attempted to hit back, smashing 29 off 17 balls, but was bowled by leg-spinner Suyash.
Suyash hit the stumps again three balls later to remove Marcus Stoinis as Punjab slipped to 114-6.
Shashank Singh, who made 31, and Marco Jansen, who hit 25, put on an unbeaten stand of 43 to boost the total but it was not enough to challenge Bengaluru.

TAIF: The Saudi Arabia U-17 national team will look to end a 37-year wait for continental glory when they face Uzbekistan in the final of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup on Sunday.

Kick-off at King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Taif is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. local time.

The Green Falcons are aiming to capture their third title, having previously lifted the trophy in 1985 and 1988. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan are seeking a second championship after first winning the tournament in 2012.

Saudi Arabia finished second in Group A during the tournament’s opening phase, collecting six points from three matches — three points behind group winners Uzbekistan. China placed third with three points, while Thailand finished bottom without a point.

The Saudis began their campaign with a 2-0 victory over China and a 3-1 win against Thailand, before falling 3-0 to Uzbekistan in the final group match. In the knockout stages, Saudi Arabia edged Japan 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the quarterfinals, and again triumphed on penalties against South Korea in the semifinals, winning 3-1 following a 1-1 stalemate.

Uzbekistan dominated the group stage, recording three consecutive victories: 4-1 against Thailand, 2-1 over China, and 3-0 against Saudi Arabia.

They carried their strong form into the quarterfinals with a 3-1 win over the UAE and secured a place in the final after a convincing 3-0 semifinal victory against North Korea.

Both Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan have already secured qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar later this year. They will be joined by fellow Asian qualifiers Japan, the UAE, Indonesia, South Korea, North Korea, and Tajikistan.