RCB wins the IPL title
Virat Kohli proved his mettle on the big stage once again. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title for the second consecutive time by defeating Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets with an unbeaten 75.
RCB wins the IPL title
Chasing a target of 156 runs in the final held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (May 31), Bengaluru batted strongly from the start. Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer added 50 runs in just 3.3 overs in the opening partnership to give the team a flying start.
Venkatesh returned for 32 runs off 16 balls, but the run-scoring pace did not slow down. Devdutt Padikkal also departed quickly. However, RCB laid the foundation for victory by scoring 70 runs for the loss of two wickets in the powerplay.
Bengaluru was put under some pressure by Rashid Khan’s spin in the middle. Captain Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya were out for just 1 run. But Kohli was unwavering at the other end. He completed his personal half-century in just 25 balls and continued to take the team forward.
Then Kohli formed an important partnership with Tim David. Even though David was out for 24 runs, the victory was almost assured for Bangalore.
At one stage of the innings, Kohli got life for 63 runs. Although Shubman Gill seemed to have taken his catch, the replay showed that the ball had touched the ground. He took advantage of that opportunity and finally remained unbeaten on 75 runs off 42 balls.
Kohli, along with Jitesh Sharma, ensured the team’s victory by hitting a six. Bangalore won by 5 wickets with 12 balls in hand.
Earlier, RCB captain Rajat Patidar decided to bowl first after winning the toss. The bowlers proved his decision right. They quickly sent Gujarat’s two main batsmen Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan back to the dressing room.
Shubman was dismissed for 10 runs by Josh Hazlewood, and Sudarshan returned for 12 runs by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bouncer. After that, Jos Buttler, Nishant Sindhu and Rahul Tewatia also failed to play a big innings.
Washington Sundar continued to fight at one end. After getting life once, he scored an unbeaten 50 runs in 37 balls. Gujarat Titans scored 155 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs on the basis of his innings.
For Bangalore, Rasikh Dar took 3 wickets and Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 2 wickets each.
Later, Bangalore easily reached the target on the basis of Kohli’s match-winning innings. RCB camp was overjoyed after winning the IPL trophy for the second time in a row.
Brief Scores
Gujarat Titans: 155 for 8 in 20 overs
Washington Sundar* 50 (37), Jos Buttler 19 (23), Sai Sudarshan 12, Shubman Gill 10.
Rasikh Dar 3 wickets, Josh Hazlewood 2 wickets, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2 wickets.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 156 for 5 in 18 overs
Virat Kohli* 75 (42), Venkatesh Iyer 32 (16), Tim David 24.
Mohammed Siraj 1 wicket, Kagiso Rabada 1 wicket, Rashid Khan 2 wickets.
Result: Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 5 wickets.
Man of the Match: Virat Kohli.