Smith silenced by Siraj as ABdV guides RCB to one-run win

Royal Challengers Bangalore have hung in against Shimron Hetmyer and Rishabh Pant's late charge to beat Delhi Capitals by just one run and go atop the Indian Premier League.

Bangalore, who scored 5-171 on the back of AB de Villiers' electrifying unbeaten 75 off 42 balls, had the game in control until the 17th over before Hetmyer brought Delhi back with some powerful hitting.

Needing 46 off the last three overs, the West Indian left-hander blazed three sixes off Kyle Jamieson to bring down the target to 25 runs from two overs.

Although Harshal Patel conceded just one boundary, his penultimate over went for 11 which left Mohammed Siraj with 14 runs to defend in the last over.

Siraj had earlier dismissed Australia's Steve Smith for just four with a sensational delivery that seamed away and took the outside edge in the innings' fourth over.

One of the heroes of India's Test win at the Gabba last summer with a maiden five-wicket haul, Siraj wheeled away with a raised index finger to his lips in a silent but very pointed celebration as Smith trudged off.

Siraj then then made the final-over task difficult for Delhi by conceding four off his first four balls before Delhi captain Pant's back-to-back boundaries could only take his team to 4-170.

That left Hetmyer on his knees in disappointment as the left-hander smashed an unbeaten 53 off just 25 balls, but could face only a ball in Siraj's last over. 

Pant consumed 48 balls for his unbeaten 58 which featured six boundaries.

"The way Siraj started the last over, it gave us confidence," Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli said.

"For the most part, I think we were on top in this game with our bowlers.

"There wasn't any dew tonight thanks to that little sandstorm in the middle and we ended up bowling with a dry ball."

Stoinis hit three fours in his 22 from 17 balls before he was edged Harshal Patel's pace behind to de Villiers.

Earlier, Delhi had the strong Bangalore batting lineup in check at 5-139 until the 18th over.

Fast bowlers Avesh Khan (1-24) and Ishant Sharma (1-26) bowled well early to dispatch opening pair of Kohli (12) and Devdutt Padikkal (17).

Glenn Maxwell lofted sixes off the spin off Amit Mishra and Axar Patel before he was caught in the deep by Smith attempting a third, departing for 25 off 20 balls.

But Pant's decision to give Marcus Stoinis the 20th over cost Delhi 23 crucial runs. It was the only over Stoinis bowled in the innings.

De Villiers turned the tide in Bangalore's favour as the experienced South African batsman smacked three sixes and in the process also completed 5000 runs in the IPL.

De Villiers, who came in during the ninth over with the score at 3-60, scored the bulk of the runs and hit three fours and five sixes in his second unbeaten half century this season.

"Feeling disappointed," Pant said.

"But Hetty (Hetmyer) played a brilliant innings, because of him we got close."

Bangalore handed a debut to Sydney Thunder star Daniel Sams for his first game of the season, having recovered from a COVID-19 infection he picked up on the flight to India. Thrown the new ball by Virat Kohli, Sams' two overs went for just 15 runs.

Bangalore's fifth win in six games took them to 10 points, leaving Delhi and Chennai Super Kings both at eight points.