Captain Michael Klinger scored a third successive half-century and South Australia Redbacks became the first team to qualify for the Champions League Twenty20 semifinals with an eight-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore Friday. Klinger finished 69 not out, and shared a 124-run opening partnership with Daniel Harris (57), to take South Australia to 155-2 at Kingsmead and past Bangalore's 154 all out with nine balls to spare. South Australia's third win in three games in Group B was set up by a disciplined bowling display to restrict the IPL team to a below-par score. Daniel Christian took 4-23, including three wickets in the final over, and Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait grabbed 2-23 to set up victory and a place in the last four for the Redbacks - with one group game still to play for them. Gary Putland finished with 2-37 off his four overs. Ross Taylor and Dillon du Preez both hit 46 for Bangalore as only three batsman reached double figures for the Royal Challengers, who were missing star all-rounder Jacques Kallis with a back injury. Cameron White made 25. Klinger and Harris led South Australia's chase with their second 100-run partnership of the tournament. Harris recorded his second 50 of the tournament, and hit seven fours and two sixes before he was run out by a combination of Virat Kohli and Bangalore captain Anil Kumble. Klinger was dropped on 30 by Manish Pandey, who couldn't hold a tough one-handed catch diving to his right. The South Australia skipper went on to strike nine fours and a six in his 57-ball 69, to lead his team home. Callum Ferguson finished unbeaten on 21. Only Graham Manou failed for South Australia, bowled by Kumble for a duck. Batting first, Bangalore had lost wickets at regular intervals to scupper their chances of a big total in Durban. Pandey and then Robin Uthappa's departure made it 7-2, before Taylor led a brief revival with his 46 off 28 balls. In his first innings of the tournament, after Bangalore needed just three batsmen to see off Guyana, Taylor cut, drove and pulled balls to the boundary and looked in impressive form. But Klinger brought Tait back for a one-over burst in the ninth and the tactic worked perfectly when the dangerous Taylor sent a thick edge to wicketkeeper Manou for the crucial breakthrough. Du Preez clubbed four sixes and a four in a 58-run stand with White. But he was the first of four wickets for Christian in five balls of the final over to end the Bangalore innings.
