West Indies great Chris Gayle hit a match-winning fifty in his first outing in this season's IPL to give Kings XI Punjab some respite.
Gayle hit 53 and added 93 with captain KL Rahul, who made an unbeaten 61, as Kings XI chased down 172 to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight wickets in Sharjah on Thursday.
Even so, Kings XI remained at the bottom of the table after what was just their second win of the tournament.
There was late drama for Kings XI, however. Needing two for victory in the last over, they scored just one run and lost Gayle to a run out on the fifth ball. Nicholas Pooran then hit the winning six off the last ball from leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.
It was a special knock from Gayle, 41, as he had recently recovered from a stomach bug.
"It is the Universe Boss batting, how can I be nervous?" Gayle said after the win.
"I thought I had it in the bag but stranger things have happened in cricket. It was a very sticky surface, very slow, but it was better batting second. The team asked me to do a job at three and it wasn't an issue."
It was a much-needed win for the team and co-owner Preity Zinta, who was at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The Bollywood star will be hoping for a few more wins like these for an entry into the playoffs.
