Despite struggling in the first three overs, Gujarat Titans cruised to an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Jos Buttler made up for his struggles behind the stumps by smashing an unbeaten 73 off 39 balls, while a familiar face, Mohammed Siraj, made his old franchise pay with the ball, bagging a three-fer.
Chasing a modest target of 170, Gujarat made light work of it. Although Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed their captain, Shubman Gill (14 off 14), for the fourth time in the IPL, Sai Sudharsan and Buttler ensured the game never slipped out of GT’s control. At one point, the duo were striking a boundary an over, tearing apart RCB’s bowling at will. Other than Yash Dayal and Bhuvi, every bowler conceded over 10 runs per over.
Buttler entered the tournament under pressure after misfiring for England during their tour of India and the Champions Trophy. However, he silenced his critics for the moment after striking at a scintillating rate of 187. His partner, Sudharsan, made 49 off 36, falling while trying to overdo a back-of-length delivery from Josh Hazlewood. Sherfane Rutherford provided the finishing touches with a quickfire 30 off 18 balls.
Earlier, it seemed like Bengaluru, much like Mumbai, hadn’t received the memo about this venue being a batting paradise. After winning the toss, Gill predictably opted to bowl, with the pitch offering a good covering of grass, assisting the seamers. Last season, pacers had made a massive impact at the Chinnaswamy, picking up nearly 78% of the wickets.
The game was billed as Siraj’s much-anticipated return to Bengaluru, with his face-off against Virat Kohli adding to the excitement for fans and broadcasters alike. Siraj delivered, while Kohli seemed to be falling from his highs in the first game. Siraj’s average at the Chinnaswamy drops to 16.25 runs per wicket as against 43.28 across other venues.
It wasn’t just Siraj, though. GT’s pace attack was all over RCB’s top order. With the ball nipping around and the pitch offering good bounce, even Arshad Khan, entrusted with the new ball, looked threatening. He got the better of Kohli, while Siraj tormented the batters from the other end. RCB were reduced to 42-4 within seven overs.
From there, Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone steadied the ship for RCB, stitching together a 52-run partnership off just 38 balls. Jitesh eventually perished, holing out to Sai Kishore, while Livingstone went on to smash 54 off 40. He was aided by some sloppy wicketkeeping and fielding, with Rashid bearing the brunt of it. Despite the early collapse, RCB managed to post 169, thanks to a late blitz from Tim David, who scored 32 off 18 balls.