BANGLORE SECURES THEIR PLACE IN TO SEMI-FINALS BEATING HYDERABAD

An unbeaten century from teenager Manish Pandey was the cornerstone of Bangalore Royal Challengers' 12-run win against Deccan Chargers in the final round-robin game of the Indian Premier League at Centurion.
Pandey became the first Indian to reach three figures at this year's tournament with a brisk 117 from 73 balls as Bangalore posted 170 for four.
A quickfire 68-run opening stand between Herschelle Gibbs (60) and Adam Gilchrist (18) had put Deccan on course for victory, but their innings petered out thereafter to fall short at 158 for six.
Both sides began the day knowing only a massive defeat would cost them a place in the semi-finals, and the closeness of the result means they will both play in the last four.
As winners of today's game Bangalore are afforded the luxury of a day's break before playing Chennai Super Kings, while Deccan will meet table-toppers Delhi Daredevils tomorrow.
Pandey made Deccan pay for dropping him when he was on just two with a blistering innings that included four sixes and 10 fours.
The 19-year-old had already seen his more esteemed opening partner Jacques Kallis (five) depart before RP Singh failed even to get a hand on the straightforward chance he offered to third man.
Pandey used the opportunity in full as he smashed back-to-back sixes in the 11th over to bring up his 50 from 36 balls, as Tirumalsetti Suman's over cost him 18 runs.
Rahul Dravid (six) never got going before mis-timing Pragyan Ojha to Gibbs at long-off but Pandey was now in full flight and took 16 off a Jaskaran Singh over, including a towering blow over the square leg boundary.
Pandey then brought up his century, from 67 balls, in the 18th over with a push for two to deep mid-on.
If RP Singh's day was not bad enough by that point he then conceded 23 runs from his final over. Pandey further soured his afternoon's work by clearing the midwicket fence, before Virat Kohli (19 not out) joined in on the act with two more maximums of his own.
In reply, Gibbs took centre stage in a whirlwind 68-run opening stand with Gilchrist.
After progressing relatively sedately to 23 off four overs, Gibbs took 16 from the next three balls off Praveen Kumar.
Not to be denied Gilchrist also found the boundary as the over cost 22, and more punishment was to come in the next as Gibbs hit back-to-back sixes off Roleof van der Merwe.
But Gilchrist (15) fell in the sixth over when he pulled Balachandra Akhil to Van der Merwe at deep square leg and from there the Chargers lost their way.
They failed to find the boundary in the next three overs before Anil Kumble removed Suman for 12 off as many balls.
Crucially, Gibbs (60 off 43 balls) followed soon after when Pandey held on to a running catch off Akhil and when Van der Merwe bowled Andrew Symonds (18) in the next over the Chargers simply ran out of steam.