Anil Kumble, Kevin Pietersen and Dale Steyn of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, celebrate the wicket of Rajasthan Royals’ Yusuf Pathan, in Jaipur, on Wednesday. (PTI)

Jaipur: The Royal Challengers Bangalore Wednesday enhanced their chances of making the semi-finals with a comprehensive five-wicket victory over the Rajasthan Royals that saw them move to the second spot on the Indian Premier League points table.

Chasing a modest 131 to win, the Royal Challengers overhauled the target with 4.2 overs to spare after Kevin Pietersen hit an aggressive half-century to steer his side to an easy win.

Earlier, the Royal Challengers pacers brilliantly exploited the slow nature of the Sawai Man Singh stadium strip to restrict the hosts to a modest 130 for six. Something that would surely have made rival captain Shane Warne rue his decision to bat.

With this win, the Royal Challengers are now second on the table with 14 points and would look to seal the semi-final spot when they take on table-toppers Mumbai Indians on Saturday.

The Royals, who remained fifth, will now have to beat the Kolkata Knight Riders by a huge margin, also on Saturday, and hope results of other matches go in their favour.

Pietersen made a fine return to the side, ensuring, in the company of the equally destructive Robin Uthappa, that his side won the crucial encounter comfortably.

They put together a quick-fire 60-run partnership for the third wicket which ended when Uthappa (26) was stumped by wicket-keeper Naman Ojha off Warne’s bowling.

Pietersen’s blistering 62 came off just 29 balls and was laced with 10 boundaries and two sixes while Uthappa hit two fours and a six in his 21-ball cameo.

The English batsman gave a clear proof of intent in the fourth over when he creamed Kamran Khan for three fours and a six.

Warne made quick changes but Pietersen, who was batting like a man on a mission, welcomed Adam Voges with three boundaries in the sixth over. At the half-way mark, the Royal Challengers were cruising at 91 for two.

Neither did Pietersen spare Warne whom he hit for a four and a six in the 11th over. The wily Australian, however, broke the partnership by having Uthappa stumped. Pietersen departed following a terrible mix-up with Virat Kohli (14) that led to him getting run out.

Earlier, such was the control of the Royal Challengers bowlers that the Royals managed only 14 fours with the only six in their innings coming in the last over.

Abhishek Raut was the top-scorer for the hosts with an unbeaten 32 and it was his undefeated seventh-wicket partnership of 58 runs with Voges (28) that helped the side set a modest target.

Drafted into the playing XI today, Pankaj Singh (2/27) was the most successful bowler for the visitors with two wickets while Dale Steyn, Jacques Kallis and R. Vinay Kumar took one each.

The hosts did not get the dream start after winning the toss as they kept losing wickets at short intervals.

In the space of seven balls both openers, Naman Ojha (7) and Michael Lumb (9), along with Amit Paunikar (0) were cooling their heels in the dug out.

The batsmen who followed found the scoring tough against a disciplined Royal Challengers attack on a slow pitch as only four boundaries came in the first six overs.

Shane Watson tried to break free of the shackles by hitting rival captain Anil Kumble for two fours but soon he too was back in the dugout after an attempted pull of Kallis went straight to Pietersen at square leg.

Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (13) followed, becoming Pankaj’s second victim — an attempted big hit nestling in the hands of Kumble at mid-off. However, Yusuf Pathan (11) did not let Pankaj celebrate much and hit him for two consecutive fours. Yusuf could not rescue his side from the dismal start though as Steyn uprooted his off-stump to send him back.