RCB blow away GT as Will Jacks showdown takes over Gujarat

In what turned out to be an imperious display of some exotic power-hitting, RCB secured their third win of the season, the second one on the trot away from home as they outclassed Gujarat Titans in a high-octane run-fest. 

RCB went in with a couple of changes from the last game that saw Glenn Maxwell returning to the fold in place of Lockie Ferguson while Swapnil Singh started the contest instead of Mahipal Lomror. Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to bowl first.

Much to RCB’s joys, they managed to have an early breakthrough as Swapnil Singh produced the massive scalp of Wriddhiman Saha for cheap. Not long after Glenn Maxwell’s introduction to the mix got rid of Shubman Gill (16) as Cameron Green pouched a blinder on the fence.

Wobbling at 45/2, GT needed some serious momentum to avert a landslide and it came through the likes of Shahrukh Khan and Sai Sudharsan. Khan blasted a 30-ball-58 while Sudharsan continued his elite batting form in the ongoing tournament.

Mohammed Siraj was eventually able to break the partnership with an absolute ripper as he cannoned through the gates of Khan to leave his timbre in shambles. However, GT did well to recover as Sudharsan stayed unbeaten for 84 off just 49 balls while David Miller carved a well-orchestrated 26 off just 19 balls.

Gujarat Titans finished proceedings at 200/3 from their allotment of 20 overs. Swapnil Singh and Mohammed Siraj were the picks of the bowling lot as they claimed one wicket apiece.

RCB needed a headstrong start if they were to shoot down 200 on a surface that didn’t look pretty straightforward back then. But putting whatever fears that loomed large to bed, RCB’s captain, Faf du Plessis brought out the big guns from the very onset of the innings. 

Hammering away three humongous maximums, Faf made his intentions clear while Virat Kohli was off to one of his signature jumpstarts as RCB looked to be in control during the powerplay. Piling up 40 runs for the opening stand, much to the skipper’s woes, Faf holed out to the solitary fielder on the fence as he departed for 24 off just 12 balls.

In walked Will Jacks at number three and there was a lot of work to be done. Virat took over the mantle of belligerence while Will very calmly slotted himself in. While Virat reached his fifty with some fiery power-hitting, Jacks was simply warming up to pull off the unthinkable.

What followed suit though was rampage from a possible extraterrestrial dimension as the English stalwart started clobbering and clubbing bowlers to the fences mercilessly. In the first 17 balls that he faced, he could only garner 17 runs while the following 24 balls saw him blasting 83 runs as he racked up his maiden IPL ton in style to finish the game for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

RCB won the match by nine wickets and 24 balls to spare, toppling a string of records en route to their mid-innings madness. VK stayed unbeaten for 70 from just 44 balls while Jacks finished the game for 100 off just 41 deliveries. Quite unsurprisingly, Will won the Player of the Match award for his superhuman knock.