Having been put in to bat and suffering the early loss of Robin Uthappa, Gambhir and Manish Pandey set about repairing the damage in style.

They took the score to 90 in 10.3 overs and were looking good for a big total. But then there was a horrendous mix-up which saw Pandey coming down the pitch and leaving Gambhir the impossible task of getting to the non-striker’s end. Shane Watson’s throw was true and Iqbal Abdullah did the rest.

That sparked a collapse which saw another three wickets go down with the addition of just 35 runs in five overs. It took the momentum away and left them short. Royal Challengers knocked off the required 184 with one wicket down. Gambhir’s 51 off 34 balls was his 31st IPL fifty. He has never gone on to score a hundred.

Photo: BCCI