Watch cricket video highlights between Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans. Indian Premier League 2024 fifty second match, played at Bengaluru.
Apart from four crazy overs, Royal Challengers Bengaluru dominated Gujarat Titans for the second time in a week at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium by playing an almost flawless game. Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli’s explosive opening partnership, along with their excellent seam-bowling, allowed RCB to control the first 26 overs of the match. However, they were momentarily put on the back foot by a middle-order collapse in which GT claimed six wickets for only 25 runs. But Swapnil Singh (15*) and Dinesh Karthik (21*) counterpunched to finish with a four-wicket victory. With their victory by 38 balls, RCB also moves up to the seventh spot in the points standings from tenth. Both of them, together with GT in ninth position, are in eighth place and have little chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
The pitch on which Sunrisers Hyderabad pumped 287 was pitch number eight. However, the pitch on Saturday was altered due to the brief downpour on Friday night, which caused the surface to get damp throughout the night. During the powerplay, Mohammed Siraj (2 for 29) and Yash Dayal (2 for 21) made effective use of the limited support to move the ball in both directions and were successful when it came from balls that were behind a respectable length. After getting rid of Wriddhiman Saha for the fourth time in seven innings, Siraj forced Shubman Gill to play outside his body so that he might be caught at deep point. Sai Sudharsan was likewise unable to get going, and GT’s powerplay score of only 23 for 3 was their lowest ever during that period.
To keep the GT innings going, M Shahrukh Khan, David Miller, and Rahul Tewatia all scored thirty or more runs. Even with the sporadic borders, the RCB seamers prevented them from escaping. Both Cameron Green and Vijaykumar Vyshak forced them back with short balls, and their combined pressure—along with some brilliant fielding—quickly brought to a collapse of the lower order. From 131 for 5 to 147 all out, GT’s innings featured two run-outs, including Shahrukh’s removal by a direct smash from Kohli.
Kohli put any nerves at bay by smashing Mohit Sharma for six over cover and midwicket in the opening over of the chase, having already survived a near run-out opportunity in the opening delivery. In the following over, Du Plessis took Josh Little for twenty runs. After that, Du Plessis assumed command. He dismissed Manav Suthar, who was making his debut, and Mohit, taking the team to fifty runs in 3.1 overs. After that, Kohli attacked Suthar, hitting him for two straight sixes over long on. As RCB surpassed their previous record powerplay score of 88, du Plessis then reached his fifty off 18 balls, continuing the attack. RCB had already ripped 92 off the mark when Little removed him in the sixth over.
But after that, wickets began to tumble. Although RCB was likely hoping to end the game early to increase their slender prospects of qualifying for the playoffs, their hitters failed to capitalize on GT’s bowlers. Will Jacks was removed by the spin of Noor Ahmad, while Little’s short balls removed Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, and Green. RCB had faltered to 117 for 6 when Noor’s googly had Kohli edging behind for 42 in the eleventh over.
When Rashid had four overs remaining—he had not bowled earlier because of a blow to his shoulder during the batting match—GT looked for a seventh wicket to apply the final squeeze, but Dinesh Karthik refused to let the spinner settle, hitting three fours in his opening over to rekindle the passions of the Chinnaswamy crowd. Swapnil treated Rashid the same way when he came back for his second over, smashing a six over the bowler’s head to claim the two points.
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