Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers extended their fine form as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Kings XI Punjab by five wickets in the Indian Premier League Friday. Gayle struck 87 off 56 balls with four sixes and eight fours while de Villiers made 52 off 39 balls with eight fours as Bangalore scored 166-5 in 19.3 overs after having restricted Punjab to 163-6. Gayle scored 81 and de Villiers made an unbeaten 33 against Pune Warriors in Bangalore's game Tuesday, and the pair came to the team's rescue once again with a decisive 131-run stand for the fourth wicket. Pace bowler Parvinder Awana had earlier claimed three wickets to reduce Bangalore to 25-3 by the sixth over. He finished with 4-34. Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 166-5 in 19.3 overs (Chris Gayle 87, AB de Villiers 52, Parvinder Awana 4-34) def. Kings XI Punjab 163-6 (David Hussey 41, Azhar Mahmood 33 not out, Zaheer Khan 2-25, Andrew McDonald 2-25). West Indies spinner Marlon Samuels, meanwhile, Friday lashed out at critics of his bowling action in the ongoing IPL, saying they were “evil”. He was reported last week by match officials following the match against Chennai Super Kings.
