Late batting resurgence goes in vain as RCB stumble against GT at home

After a fine run away from home, RCB were dealt a blow as they went down fighting against Gujarat Titans. An early batting slide saw them wobbling and by the time they could recover, the numbers on the board weren’t formidable enough for the bowlers to put up a defence which could get them across the line.

Winning the toss, Gujarat Titans opted to bowl first. RCB’s top-order failed to come to the party as they lost Virat Kohli (7), Phil Salt (14), Devdutt Padikkal (4) and Rajat Patidar (12) early, reducing them to 42/4. It was the arrival of Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone which steadied the ship as the duo added 52 runs between them.

Sharma’s 21-ball-33 proved to be a solid anchor before R Sai Kishore could finally break the partnership. Krunal Pandya couldn’t chime in with much resistance either, despite Liam Livingstone’s sparkling brilliance at the other end. Livingstone smashed 54 off just 40 balls, whacking one four and five sixes before Mohammed Siraj could finally get the better of him.

However, another top-notch finish from Tim David saw him clubbing 32 from just 18 balls, clobbering three fours and two sixes as RCB managed 169/8 from their allotment of 20 overs. It was a tough defence for the Royal Challengers as the surface seemed to favour the batters.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar did provide an early breakthrough in the form of Shubman Gill (14) but that was enough to dampen the spirits of the Titans. Jos Buttler steered the Titans to safety while Sai Sudharsan looked in total control as well. The duo added 75 runs for the second wicket before Josh Hazlewood could get the better of Sudharsan.

Despite the scalp of Sudharsan, GT could comfortably steer home with Sherfane Rutherford providing them the much-needed stability in the center. Buttler stayed unbeaten for 73 off just 39 balls while Rutherford hung in the middle for an 18-ball-30 as GT snatched an eight-wicket win.