GUJARAT TITANS beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by four wickets in their IPL match on Thursday, with contributions from Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler, backed by a strong bowling and fielding effort.
Gujarat opted to chase at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, continuing the trend where all seven previous IPL matches between the sides had been won by the team batting second.
Bengaluru were bowled out for 155 after slipping from 79 for two. Virat Kohli hit five fours off Kagiso Rabada in the second over before being dismissed by the same bowler. Devdutt Padikkal top-scored with 40. Arshad Khan took 3/22, with support from Rashid Khan.
Jason Holder took three catches and also claimed the wickets of Jitesh Sharma and Romario Shepherd, triggering a middle-order collapse. Bengaluru used Venkatesh Iyer as the impact substitute.
"It was one of those nights (when the ball kept following me)," player-of-the-match Holder said.
"The energy was quite high. I am just happy to hold on to the chances and happy to help the team win."
Gujarat made a quick start in the chase. Gill attacked Josh Hazlewood, hitting three fours and two sixes in an over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Sudharsan and Gill, who scored 43, but Buttler added 39, including three consecutive sixes.
Bhuvneshwar dismissed Buttler in his final over to take his 17th wicket of the season.
Gujarat lost a few wickets in the middle overs, with Romario Shepherd dismissing Shahrukh Khan and Washington Sundar in the space of three deliveries. However, the earlier scoring meant the required rate remained under control.
Rahul Tewatia steadied the chase before Rashid Khan hit the winning boundary, sealing victory with 25 balls remaining.
