DHARAMSALA: Royal Challengers Bengaluru rode on fluent half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer to post a competitive 222 for 4 against Punjab Kings in their Indian Premier League clash here on Sunday.
Kohli (58 off 37 balls) struck four boundaries and three sixes and stitched a 76-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal (45) for the second wicket to lay the platform for RCB.
He then combined with Iyer (73 not out off 40 balls) in a 60-run third-wicket stand as table-toppers RCB delivered yet another authoritative batting display.
The left-handed Iyer turned particularly aggressive after Kohli's departure, blazing eight fours and four maximums as his explosive strike rate made crossing the 200-run mark look remarkably easy.
Jitesh Sharma is leading RCB in this game in the absence of Rajat Patidar.
Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 222 for 4 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 58, Devdutt Padikkal 45, Venkatesh Iyer 73 not out; Harpreet Brar 2/35).