Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru won against Gujarat Titans on Saturday at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium by four wickets thanks to Faf du Plessis' blistering knock.
Chasing 148 is usually an easy task in T20 cricket, but it wasn’t possible without multiple hiccups for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. With an aim of taking down a low total, the opening duo of Faf du Plessis (64) and Virat Kohli (42) gave them a blistering start of 92 runs from 5.5 overs before the former was dismissed. However, the team were reduced to 117/6 in no time losing five wickets in a span of 25 runs. However, Dinesh Karthik (21 Not Out) and Swapnil Singh (15 Not Out) took control of the proceedings after that to steady the innings and take RCB to a four-wicket victory.
Being put in to bat first, GT were reduced to 19/3 in quick time but their lower middle order steadied the innings. Shahrukh Khan scored 37 runs while Rahul Tewatia amassed 35 runs during his stay at the crease. Miller also played his part by scoring 30 runs. It was a collective effort from the bowling unit for RCB and they bundled out the opposition on 147. Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal and Vijaykumar Vyshak picked two wickets each for the bowling side.
Live updates from the second innings
- Over 11-13.4 (152/6)
Noor Ahmad gets the prized scalp of Virat Kohli as he nicked one to the wicketkeeper. The RCB innings is taking a complete turn here and they are losing wickets continuously. However, Dinesh Karthik hit a couple of boundaries in the over from Rashid and that provided some sigh of relief for the batting side. Karthik stayed at the crease till the end to help the side script a four-wicket win.
- Over 7-10 (112/5)
Du Plessis was going berserk with his hitting but GT put some brakes on RCB’s innings with five quick wickets. The South African batter tried to pull a shorts delivery from Joshua Little but ended up giving a catch. Next, it was Will Jacks who was deceived by the wrong un from Noor Ahmad. The ball took the leading edge and was caught at long-on. Little then got rid of Rajat Patidar with a short delivery as he played it in the deep and gave a catch to the deep fielder. Maxwell also got dismissed in pursuit of aggression and RCB have opened up the possibility of them choking the game from a position of easy win.
- Over 0-6 (92/1)
It’s raining boundaries and sixes here as both Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis are producing some sublime timing in their strokeplay. Kohli kicked off the innings with a couple of sixes in the first over while du Plessis hit three fours and a maximum in the second over. Manav Suthar was the next to receive some damage from the South African batter as he scored 12 runs from the over. Kohli also came up with a couple of sixes in the fifth over and Faf du Plessis completed his fifty in just 18 balls. The duo has been unstoppable today. This is the highest powerplay score by RCB in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Live updates from the first innings
- Over 16-19.3 (147/10)
Rahul Tewatia welcomed Karn Sharma in the 16th over with three fours and a six on the first four balls of the over. The batters amassed 19 runs from the 16th over and they need to step up the run rate as possible. Rashid played a brilliant shot through the off-side and amassed four runs from his shot. The duo of Rashid and Tewatia are building a solid partnership here.
Rashid shuffled across his stumps and Yash Dayal nailed the yorker to shatter his stumps. GT are losing their wickets on a consistent basis and Tewatia was next as he ended up providing a catch in the deep. Vijay Shankar came at the crease and he scored a boundary behind the wickets. Vyshak took a hat trick in the last over and GT are bundled out on 147.
- Over 11-15 (102/5)
Shahrukh Khan smashed a huge six to Green and the duo also completed a 50-run stand in the 11th over. Miller then whacked a maximum on the fourth delivery of the 12th over by Karn Sharma as he tried to play a slog through the leg side. He miscued the shot and was caught at the edge of the 30-yard circle. Shahrukh also walked back to the dugout as he was run out by a throw from Virat Kohli. Rashid hit a six in the 15th over and he might add some runs to the GT total now.
- Over 7-10 (61/3)
Shahrukh Khan hit a couple of fours in the seventh over from Vijaykumar Vyshak as he smacked one on the off-side and then glanced it towards the leg side. Cameron Green bowled the eighth over and Miller managed to get a four from the over. He was hit on the helmet by a nasty bouncer from the bowler. The RCB bowlers are causing all sorts of trouble to the opposition batters and GT need to stage a recovery as quickly as possible. However, Miller tried to break the shackles as he hit a six on the leg-side to a fuller delivery bowled by Karn Sharma. Shahrukh also signed off the over with a boundary and both batters scored 10 runs from it.
- Over 0-6 (23/3)
A bright start for RCB as Swapnil Singh conceded only a single run in his first over. Mohammed Siraj provided the first breakthrough for the bowling side as he bowled a delivery outside off and some seam movement compelled Wridhiman Saha to poke at the delivery and edged the ball towards the wicketkeeper. The fast bowlers are getting some seam movement from the surface and Yash Dayal also took the ball away from Sai Sudharsan in the third over. A brilliant spell of fast bowling is evident here and GT batters are facing some heat.
Siraj also takes the second wicket in the fourth over as Gill was deceived with a delivery shaping away from him. A shaky start for GT today and they need to recover from it as soon as possible. Sudharshan also takes a walk back to the pavilion after a few minutes later and the batting side is three down now.
Playing XI
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, David Miller, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma, Joshua Little
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Will Jacks, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik(w), Karn Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal, Vijaykumar Vyshak
Toss
RCB won the toss and chose to bowl first.
