A sensational bowling performance from Mohammed Siraj (3 wickets for 19 runs) and a brilliant fifty from Jos Buttler powered Gujarat Titans (GT) to comfortable 8-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, on Wednesday, March 2.
Gujarat Titans secured their second-biggest chase in terms of wickets remaining, following their nine-wicket victory over Rajasthan in Jaipur in 2023. Interestingly, all six encounters between GT and RCB have been won by the chasing team, with both teams winning three games each.
Chasing a modest 170-run target, GT openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan approached the tricky new-ball phase cautiously, avoiding unnecessary risks.
The first breakthrough for RCB came in the fifth over, but by then, the Titans had already laid a solid foundation.
Following the early dismissal, Sudharsan and Jos Buttler kept the chase on track, regularly finding boundaries after the powerplay to keep the required run rate in check.
RCB turned to Josh Hazlewood for a breakthrough, and he succeeded in breaking a 75-run partnership. However, that was the only real moment of resistance, as Buttler and Sherfane Rutherford calmly steered GT to victory.
Gujarat Titans shine with the ball
Gujarat Titans won the toss and elected to field first, restricting Royal Challengers Bangalore to 169/8 in their 20 overs.
Liam Livingstone was the standout performer for Royal Challengers Bangalore, scoring 54 off 40 balls. Mohammed Siraj led the Titans’ bowling attack with 3 wickets, while Sai Kishore picked up 2 wickets. Ishant Sharma, Arshad Khan, and Prasidh Krishna chipped in with a wicket each.
RCB’s early collapse
Opening the innings, Virat Kohli and Phil Salt struggled to build momentum. Royal Challengers Bangalore lost their first wicket with just 8 runs on the board, as Kohli fell cheaply to Arshad Khan.
Soon after, Mohammed Siraj dismissed Devdutt Padikkal for just 4 runs, and then removed Salt (14 off 13 balls) to leave RCB in trouble.
RCB’s struggles continued when captain Rajat Patidar was dismissed for 12 runs by Ishant Sharma, reducing them to 42/4.
Middle order rescues RCB
Sai Kishore further dented RCB’s hopes, dismissing Jitesh Sharma (33 off 21 balls) and Krunal Pandya (5 runs) in quick succession. With wickets falling at regular intervals, Royal Challengers Bangalore found themselves in a tough spot.
However, Liam Livingstone and Tim David provided a late flourish. Livingstone’s power-packed knock of 54 included 1 four and 5 sixes, while David contributed a quickfire 32 off 18 balls, helping Royal Challengers Bangalore reach a fighting total of 169/8.
