IPL PHOTOS: Royal Challengers vs Knight Riders, 12th match

Chris Gayle blasted a quickfire 85 to earn Bangalore a convincing eight-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders, with 15 balls to spare, that took them to the top of the IPL standings, with three victories from four games.

Sent in to bat, Kolkata Knight Riders scored 154 for 8, while the Bangalore side replied with 158-2 in 17.3 overs, at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Thursday.

- Scorecard

Moises Henriques provided the home team an early breakthrough, having Manvinder Bisla (1) caught by Lokesh Rahul at point.

The Australian returned to take Yusuf Pathan's wicket and finished with figures of two for 24.

Jacques Kallis scored 16 and added a vital 51 runs for the second wicket with Gautam Gambhir, thereby laying the foundation for the Kolkata innings. 

However, just when the veteran South African looked to have settled down, R Vinay Kumar had him caught by Henriques at sweeper cover. 

Gautam Gambhir top-scored for Kolkata with 59.

The captain's 46-ball innings was inclusive of seven boundaries and a six. It was his 17th fifty in the IPL.

However, just when he looked set to take the game away from Bangalore, Vinay Kumar had him caught off his own bowling. 

Yusuf Pathan gave glimpses of his glorious past, his 17-ball 27 inclusive of three boundaries and a huge six. 

He also helped his captain put on 41 runs for the third wicket. 

However, Henriques ensured Yusuf's another low score stay by having him caught by Vinay Kumar. 

R Vinay Kumar impressed with the ball, taking two for 36 off his four overs. 

He picked the wickets of Gambhir and Kallis, the two scalps taking his tournament tally to seven wickets. 

He was handed the Purple Cap, given to the tournament's highest wicket-taker, after the innings.

RP Singh was the most successful Bangalore bowler.

The Purple Cap winner in the second edition picked three wickets for 27 runs off his four overs. 

Among his victims were Manoj Tiwary (23), Eoin Morgan (2) and Rajat Bhatia (13). 

His late burst helped Bangalore restrict Kolkata to 154 for eight.

Chris Gayle continued his good run with the bat, scoring another blazing half-century that carried Bangalore to another easy victory.

The tall opener helped Bangalore break the shackles after the early dismissal of Manvinder Bisla (6) by smashing pacer Ryan McLaren for back-to-back sixes in the sixth over.

The left-hander raced to his half-century off 32 balls as Bangalore stepped up the tempo after a steady start.

Bangalore captain Virat Kohli also adopted a positive approach from the outset.

He took a liking to left-armer Pradeep Sangwan, whom he smashed for two consecutive sixes in the ninth over. But he was dismissed in the next by pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji as he hit a slower ball to Eoin Morgan to sweeper cover for 35.

Kohli was involved in an on-field spat with Kolkata captain Gambhir as he was making his way back to dug out following his dismissal.

Gambhir appeared to have uttered an expletive, at which his Bangalore counterpart was infuriated.

Both players charged towards each other, and it took the effort of another Delhi player, Rajat Bhatia, to ensure a possible collison was avoided and the war of words didn't escalate.

Gayle ended the match in his trademark fashion, lofting Balaji for a huge six over long-on to finish on 85 from 50 balls, having smashed four fours and nine sixes.

AB de Villiers eased his way to 22 from as many balls as Bangalore coasted to an eight-wicket victory.