Royal Challengers pacer Praveen Kumar took three wickets to help his team pull off a narrow three-run win against Deccan Chargers in a nail-biting match of the Indian Premier League at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Praveen returned figures of three for 23 even as the hosts successfully defended their modest total of 156 for eight to claim their second win in the tournament while the fine half-centuries by Deccan Chargers skipper V V S Laxman and Rohit Sharma went in vain.
Laxman (52) and Sharma (57) put on 96 runs for the third wicket to provide a ray of hope when Deccan Chargers appeared to be in trouble after losing two quick wickets.
When the Hyderabad team needed 20 runs for victory in the last over, Sanjay Bangar (17 not out) hit Anil Kumble for two successive sixes raising the team's hopes but could not clinch the match for his team, which ended up with 153 for six in their stipulated 20 overs.
Earlier, put in to bat, none of the Royal Challengers' batsmen could touch the half-century mark and opener Wasim Jaffer top-scored with a 37-ball 44.
Virat Kohli (38) and Rahul Dravid (26) provided valuable contributions to the side when other batsmen were out cheaply.
Jaffer also stitched a 72-run partnership off 54 balls with Kohli. The hosts brought on the 50 in 6.3 overs, and were 80 for one after 10 overs.
Dravid, who was dropped by Scott Styris when he was on 12, finally got out on the last ball of the innings. He hit one four and two sixes in his 21-ball knock.
Their batting collapse began after RP Singh, who was the pick of the bowlers returning figures of three for 41 runs, bowled out Bharat Chipli for a measly individual score of 10.
Pragyan Ojha removed Jaffer by having him caught by Herschelle Gibbs and uprooted the middle stump of Jacques Kallis (6) to finish with two wickets to his credit.
Opener Adam Gilchrist (10) and Herschelle Gibbs were sent packing, leaving the visitors struggling at 31 for 2 in the sixth over.
Then came the big partnership between Laxman and Rohit Sharma, who executed some fluent strokes. They brought on the 50 partnership in 38 balls and appeared to be hardly troubled by the Bangalore team bowlers.
Laxman's 52, made off 44 balls, was aided by seven fours and Sharma hit a strokeful 32-ball 57 that included five fours and three sixes.
Shahid Afridi, who came in after the departure of Sharma, did not last long and brilliantly caught by Dale Steyn in the deep for one.
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