All-round Gujarat Titans beat RCB for second win on the bounce

In what was arguably their most below-par performance since the start of IPL 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru endured a four-wicket hammering at the hands of Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Thursday (April 30). Having mustered just 155 on the board, RCB were subjected to a stunning Shubman Gill onslaught that shut them out of the game, handing the defending champions their third defeat of the season. A collective bowling display led by Arshad Khan's three-fer and Jason Holder, who bagged a couple of wickets. As RCB were bowled out before they could bat out their quota of 20 overs, Rashid Khan turned in a neat spell of his own after a couple of average games. At the Narendra Modi Stadium, a crowd of 90,865 people were treated to some masterful strokes from Virat Kohli early on. In the second over, the veteran batter attacked Kagiso Rabada. Kohli's unstoppable form this season was highlighted by peeling off five boundaries in a row, lofting off a good length over mid-off, cutting through a backward point, and driving through a cover point, all of which appeared to extend into this match. He stepped out and slammed Mohammed Siraj over long on as well and the fact that he was beaten first ball before nearly playing onto his stumps right after seemed a distant past away. But Rabada then shoved one into the pitch as Kohli stepped out and top-edged a pull, handing Rashid Khan a tumbling catch at mid-wicket. It wasn't the pitch per se. Rashid extracted turn, but the damage was done well before he made an impact as RCB's batters fell to tame shots aplenty. So much so that the short mid-wicket fielder was found by as many as four batters, including Kohli. RCB lost just two wickets in the Powerplay but Rajat Patidar looked far from comfortable as Rabada kept him quiet, while also getting one to kick off a short length as the leading edge somehow evaded the fielder in the deep third man region. Jason Holder made a stunning catch at deep square leg while avoiding a collision with Rabada, which caused some controversy over Patidar's wicket. The TV umpire declared Patidar out although replays showed that the ball may have made contact with the ground, bringing into question whether he was in complete control of the catch or not. Holder, on the other hand, was everywhere, dismissing Jitesh Sharma before taking a second catch at short midwicket while Tim David struggled with a Rashid delivery. Only Devdutt Padikkal and impact substitute Venkatesh Iyer were able to compete with his 40-year-old opponent. And there were multiple moments that signified this. One was Josh Hazlewood's dismissal because he tried to steal a bye on the ricochet and was short at the non-striker's end after narrowly missing a run out at the striker's end. There was a desperate review in the third over but the replays confirmed a clear gap between bat and ball. To top it all off, Kohli scored an overthrow, making a single into five, and Jitesh dropped Buttler, making it a rare day when RCB suffered a lot of setbacks. In Bhuvneshwar Kumar's first over, Shubman Gill destroyed a four and a six with a modest target in front of him. But it was against Josh Hazlewood that he truly imposed himself, slamming three fours and two sixes as he unleashed his full repertoire of strokes in the second over. All of this while Kohli was nearby chirping away in a high-intensity battle. Gill middleed the ball in such a way that even when he got out to the ball, he smashed it, only to catch Kohli at cover. Jos Buttler then tore into Hazlewood, who conceded 49 in his three Powerplay overs before finishing with 0/56. Bhuvneshwar bagged his fifth three-wicket haul of the season, removing the top three, even as Buttler's cameo put the chase beyond doubt. That was until Romario Shepherd's double-strike in the 11th over left the door slightly ajar for RCB. The calm heads in Rahul Tewatia and Jason Holder put together a brisk 30-run stand and while Holder perished to Suyash Sharma, Tewatia and Rashid Khan got the job done with plenty of deliveries to spare. Krunal Pandya did not bowl, which is surprising considering RCB's limited options after a batter was substituted in. GT stay home to host Punjab Kings on Sunday (May 3). RCB enjoy a six-day break before they face Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow next Thursday (May 7).