IPL-2024: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Defeat Gujarat Titans By 9 Wickets In Ahmedabad
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, RCB defeated Gujarat Titans by nine wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday evening. RCB overhauled the target of 201, scoring 206 for one in just 16 overs.
Will Jacks delivered a rapid-fire century with 100 runs from just 41 deliveries, while Virat Kohli made 70 off 44 deliveries. Both batters remained unbeaten. Jacks has been adjudged the Player of the Match.
Earlier put in to bat first, Gujarat scored 200 for three in 20 overs. Sai Sudharsan was the top scorer for the Titans, with 84 off 49, while Shahrukh Khan made 58 from 30 balls.
Will Jacks put on a six-hitting spectacle in Ahmedabad to give Royal Challengers Bengaluru their third win of IPL 2024. Chasing 201, RCB remained in the hunt after the first half but then turned on the heat with Virat Kohli getting the best seat in the house. Jacks, who was struggling at 17 off 17 at point, hammered 83 off his next 24 balls to smash an incredible 41-ball ton that helped his side chase down 201 with four overs to spare.
The game was won in the second half of the innings. Titans went from 82/2 to 200/3 in their last 10 overs. However, RCB managed to pile on 108 runs in just six overs after the halfway mark.
In a tournament where teams have attempted to take full toll of the powerplay, Gujarat Titans could only muster 42. Wriddhiman Saha fell early in the first over and the RCB bowlers kept both Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan fairly quiet. Gill in particular was put under pressure following a string of low scores and hefell immediately after the powerplay.
For someone who hardly gets an opportunity to bat, Shahrukh Khan was handed a promotion to bat at No.4. He made good use of that chance and dealt fully in sixes in the middle overs. The returning Glenn Maxwell, Karn Sharma and Cameron Green were all clubbed for massive sixes. Sudharsan made up for his watchful start as the two Tamil Nadu players put on a show to entertain the crowd. Shahrukh’s maiden IPL fifty came off just 23 deliveries before an excellent delivery from Siraj brought an end to his stay.
With Shahrukh departing just before the final flourish, Sudharsan took charge at the death. Having brought up his fifty off 34 balls, the left-hander smashed Maxwell for a six before taking on Green for a hat-trick of boundaries. The highlight of the phase was a terrific lap over the keeper’s head for a six. Just when it appeared like the Titans would finish below 200, David Miller hit one over the ropes off the final ball to breach the landmark.
Looking at the standard that has been set this year, 63 might not look daunting but that was enough given what they were chasing. RCB needed a boundary-laden powerplay and they got one with both Kohli and Faf du Plessis beginning in style. Du Plessis in particular was severe in his approach and raced to 23 off 9 and Titans had to introduce Sai Kishore into the attack to get rid of the RCB skipper. However, Kohli, whose game against spin has been under the scanner for a while now, took on Rashid Khan first and then hammered Sai Kishore for back-to-back sixes to ensure the powerplay ended on a good note.
To even think that Will Jacks was struggling at the start might sound bizarre. But that’s what it was with Kohli keeping the chase going. The opener showed no visible signs of any weakness against spin in terms of intent as he not only rotated the strike to perfection but also regularly targeted Rashid and Noor Ahmed for boundaries. In the process, he brought up a 32-ball fifty and set himself a massive second half. But that second half simply belonged to one man as Kohli turned into a happy spectator.
A six and a four off Mohit Sharma ticked it all off for Jacks. He then smashed a six each off Sai Kishore and Noor Ahmed to set himself up. While RCB were definitely favourites at that stage as they needed 53 from 36 with nine wickets in hand, no one saw that climax coming their way. From that point, the game was done and dusted in a matter of 12 deliveries.
Jacks took on Mohit again for three sixes in an over that saw the pacer concede 29. In the next over, even Rashid couldn’t stop that carnage as Jacks went 6,6,4,6 to move to 94 in stunning fashion. RCB needed one more run to win the game and Jacks had one crack at Rashid in that over to not only finish off the game but also get to his hundred. He did that in style with his 10th big hit that stunned the home team.
Virat Kohli had to take a backseat this evening despite showcasing his hitting prowess against spin. In the process, he became the first batter to go past 500 runs this season. He has done it seven times now, the joint-most in IPL history.
Brief scores: Gujarat Titans 200/3 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 84*, Shahrukh Khan 58; Swapnil Singh 1/23) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 206/1 in 16 overs (Will Jacks 100*, Virat Kohli 70*) by 9 wickets
