Royal Challengers Bengaluru are IPL champions again, defeat Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets

Royal Challengers Bengaluru seemed to have only one hurdle — winning their first IPL title. Having crossed that barrier last season, they made a habit of it, as the defending champions retained their title by thrashing Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the IPL final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Chasing a target of 156 never appeared to be much of a challenge for the Rajat Patidar-led side as they took the attack to the Gujarat bowlers right from the start.

Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli went on the offensive early and quickly raced to 62 in less than five overs. However, two quick wickets — Iyer for 32 and Devdutt Padikkal for one — briefly slowed the scoring rate.

Kohli was then joined by Patidar at the other end and the duo steadied the innings, putting RCB back on track. However, Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill's decision to bring Rashid Khan into the attack in the ninth over changed the complexion of the game.

Rashid struck twice in the over, dismissing Patidar and Krunal Pandya, and appeared to have pushed RCB onto the back foot.

However, Kohli remained unfazed and continued to anchor the chase, bringing up his half-century and relieving the pressure on his side.

The 25-ball fifty was the fastest of his IPL career. He and Tim David then looked to accelerate the scoring before the Australian fell after making 24.

Needing just 24 runs from 32 deliveries, RCB adopted a cautious approach as they edged closer to another IPL crown. Jitesh Sharma and Kohli slowly guided the team to their back-to-back title.

Earlier, RCB bowlers bowled with discipline and control to restrict GT to 155/8.

It was Washington Sundar's fighting knock of 50 that provided some resistance and helped GT post a competitive target of 156, but the innings largely belonged to the Bengaluru bowlers.

Rasikh Salam was the pick of the bowlers, who took 3 wickets. Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar took two wickets apiece, while Krunal Pandya chipped in with one wicket.

RCB's decision to bowl first paid immediate dividends as their bowlers removed Gujarat's two biggest batting threats — skipper Shubman Gill and opener Sai Sudharsan — within the first three overs of the innings.

Gill was the first to depart after miscued a shot high into the air, with RCB captain Rajat Patidar completing a comfortable catch. The Gujarat skipper managed just 10 runs before falling to Josh Hazlewood.

Sai Sudharsan survived an early scare when a review overturned his dismissal, but his stay at the crease was short-lived. Attempting a pull shot, he got a bottom edge and wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma did well to cover ground and complete the catch. Sudharsan was dismissed for 12, giving Bhuvneshwar Kumar his first wicket of the evening.

With both openers back in the pavilion, Gujarat found scoring difficult. The Titans crawled to 45/2 at the end of the powerplay as RCB's bowlers maintained a tight grip on proceedings.

The pressure continued to mount when Rasikh Salam struck to remove Nishant Sandhu for 20, further denting Gujarat's hopes of building momentum.

After 10 overs, Gujarat were struggling at 65/3 and the pressure continued to mount as wickets fell at regular intervals. With runs proving difficult to come by, Sundar held one end together and attempted to rebuild the innings.

The left-hander received a major reprieve in the 10th over. Jacob Duffy banged in a short delivery and Sundar mistimed a pull shot towards deep fine-leg. Jordan Cox sprinted in and appeared to complete a stunning low catch, sparking celebrations among the RCB players. However, the third umpire ruled that the ball had touched the ground during the catch attempt, allowing Sundar to survive.

The lifeline proved crucial as Sundar went on to anchor the innings and emerged as Gujarat's biggest source of resistance.

The final was a repeat of the first qualifier in which the defending champions thrashed GT by 92 runs to book their place in the final.

Brief Scores:
Gujarat Titans 155 for 8 in 20 overs (Washington Sundar 50 not out; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/29, Josh Hazlewood 2/37, Rasikh Salam 3/27).
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 161/5 in 18 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 32, Virat Kohli 75 not out; Rashid Khan 2/25).

RCB playing XI: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar
Impact subs- Venkatesh Iyer, Kanishk Chouhan, Swapnil Singh, Abhinandan Singh, Jordan Cox

GT playing XI: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj
Impact subs- Prasidh Krishna, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, Sai Kishore

High-stakes final

GT featured in their third IPL final in four seasons since making their debut in 2022. They have won the title in the debut season, but have lost to CSK in 2023.

The Titans have enjoyed a strong record at the Narendra Modi Stadium this season, winning five of their seven matches, including a four-wicket victory over RCB during the league stage. After losing to RCB in the qualifier, they have defeated Rajasthan Royals in the second qualifier by seven wickets to book their place in the final.

The biggest strength for Gujarat throughout the tournament was their opening pair of captain Gill and Sai Sudharsan, who have been among the most prolific batters of the tournament. Gill has amassed 732 runs this season, while Sudharsan has scored 722. Former England captain Jos Buttler has also made a significant contribution with 526 runs.

However, Gujarat's middle order has struggled for consistency and always comes under pressure if the top order fails to provide a strong platform.

Their bowling attack, led by Purple Cap holder Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Rashid Khan, Jason Holder, and Prasidh Krishna, posed a threat to many batting lineups. However, it failed to give the desired result in Sunday's final.

RCB, meanwhile, have looked every bit the defending champions with both their batting and bowling units firing in tandem. Virat Kohli and skipper Rajat Patidar have been in excellent form, while Bengaluru have emerged as one of the most explosive batting sides of the season, regularly breaching the 200-run mark.

Their bowling attack, spearheaded by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, has also been effective, particularly in the powerplay, where they have consistently put opposition batters under pressure.