RCB defeated the Gujarat Titans by 4 wickets to promote them to the seventh position on the IPL points table.
RCB skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and chose to bowl first, a decision that paid off almost immediately. The GT top order crumbled under pressure. Openers Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill departed within the first four overs, leaving a lot of work for the middle order. Sai Sudarshan could not quite steady the ship either, and soon GT found themselves in a precarious position at 19/3 after just 5.3 overs.
Shahrukh Khan, along with David Miller, decided to fight back. They stitched together a crucial 61-run partnership, bringing some much-needed momentum to the GT innings. Just when it seemed like they were getting into a good rhythm, disaster struck for GT. A brilliant throw from Virat Kohli, ever the fielding star, caught Shahrukh Khan short of his crease, sending him back to the pavilion for a well-made 37 runs. Despite Khan’s dismissal, Rashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia provided a late flourish with a quickfire partnership. They managed to push the score to a slightly more respectable 147 runs before being bowled out in 19.3 overs.
In response, Virat Kohli (42), fresh off his brilliant run-out, and Faf du Plessis (64), the skipper, started with a bang. The partnership between these two experienced batters was a treat to watch, racing to 92 runs off just 35 balls. However, just when RCB looked unstoppable, the tide turned dramatically. Between the 6th and 11th overs, RCB’s batting lineup started to crumble. Joshua Little’s fiery spell ripped through the RCB middle order, taking a whopping 4 wickets and leaving RCB in a spot of bother.
GT’s Noor Ahmad also chipped in with two crucial wickets, keeping the RCB batters on their toes. With six wickets down, the match hung in the balance. However, seasoned campaigner Dinesh Karthik and Swapnil Singh stepped up to the challenge. They guided RCB to a comfortable victory with a whopping 38 balls to spare.
Last Updated on May 4, 2024
