TATA IPL 2024 Match 52 , RCB Vs GT – Match Report
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won by four wickets against Gujarat Titans (GT) in their TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. A good bowling performance restricted GT to only 147 and a dominant start by the RCB openers set the platform for a win. Although there were a few nerves during the run-chase, RCB were in a comfortable spot to eventually take the two points home.
RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first on a pitch that offered a lot of help to the bowlers to begin the day. The RCB opening bowlers made full use of those conditions and rocked the GT batting early. At the end of the powerplay, GT were only 23 for three – the lowest score in the first six overs in the Tata IPL 2024. That is a reflection of the RCB bowlers’ performance.
GT had a difficult time in the powerplay as reflected by the score. However, one of the most telling statistic is that only two boundaries were scored in the powerplay. While RCB started off with the left-arm spin of Swapnil Singh, they switched to pace in the next over and maintained that approach for the next seven overs. Mohammad Siraj was the pick of the bowlers in that phase. He got Wriddhiman Saha to edge to the wicketkeeper in the second over and later, induced a top-edge of Shubman Gill’s bat and dismissed him caught in the deep on the off-side. In the last over of the Powerplay, Sai Sudharsan, GT’s leading run-scorer this year, tried to pull Cameron Green and was caught at mid-off.
Pressure 🤝 Reward
Cameron Green picks up in-form Sai Sudharsan as Virat Kohli takes the catch! 🙌#GT 23/3 at the end of Powerplay
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GT then had a partnership of substance as David Miller (30 off 20 balls) and Shahrukh Khan (37 off 24 balls). In tandem, they added 61 off 37 balls – which gave GT hope of putting on a good total. It was sensible as they rotated strike and found the boundaries at regular intervals. Miller got the first six of the match in the 10th over when he hit Karn Sharma over mid-wicket for a massive six. Shahrukh followed him in the next over when he hit Green over long-on. Miller then chanced his arm again against Karn in the 12th over but hit it straight to long-on.
Fight 🔛, ft David Miller 🤝 Shahrukh Khan
Crucial 61-run partnership between these two comes to an end!
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Soon after, Shahrukh was found short of his ground with a direct hit by Virat Kohli. At 87 for five in the 13th over – GT were in trouble again. Rashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia then attempted an attacking partnership. Tewatia in particular was severe on Karn in the 16th over – picking 19 runs with a six and three fours. Rashid too found two fours and a six in his cameo of 18, until Yash Dayal had him bowled while attempting a scoop. Tewatia too was dismissed soon after while trying to pull but edged it to third-man where Vijaykumar Vyshak took a great catch.
Watch that catch over and over again 😯
Vyshak Kumar pulls off a stunning catch at the ropes 👏
Danger man Rahul Tewatia departs!
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GT introduced Vijay Shankar as their impact sub to strengthen their batting, however, three wickets in the last over meant GT were bowled out for 147.
RCB’s response was aggressive and decisive to begin with – led by their captain Faf du Plessis and Kohli. In the very first over, RCB’s intent was clear when Kohli hit Mohit Sharma down the ground for a six and ended the over by flicking one through mid-wicket to clear the fence. Joshua Little was welcomed with 20 runs in the second over by du Plessis. The RCB captain carted three fours and a six to get his innings going. Manav Suthar, the left-arm spinner making his Tata IPL debut for GT, got a glimpse of du Plessis’s abilities when he was carted over long-on for a six followed by a drive for four.
That’s one way to get off the mark 🤌
King Kohli opens his account with a massive SIX 💥
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Such was du Plessis’s batting that he looked unstoppable. Kohli had the best seat in the house watching his captain smash it to all parts. For some time, Kohli didn’t have a lot of the strike but in the fifth over, he emulated his captain with back-to-back sixes off Suthar. In the same over, du Plessis completed his fifty off only 18 balls. In the last over of the powerplay, the du Plessis show ended when he was dismissed by Little for 64 off only 23 balls. With 92 in the powerplay, RCB looked well on course to victory.
Then came a bit of a twist as GT made it tougher for RCB. Noor Ahmad and Little had big contributions in that. In the seventh over, Noor dismissed Jacks early – who had scored a century against GT in the last game. Rajat Patidar, the Impact Player, pulled one to mid-wicket in the next over off Little. And three balls later, Maxwell fell in near identical fashion, pulling it to deep square-leg. The run-scoring got a little slower. In the 10th over, Green was caught at third-man to hand Little his fouth wicket.
Two identical dismissals and #GT have bounced back strongly!
But @RCBTweets need only 37 off 62
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However, real nerves set in the 11th over when Kohli (42 off 27 balls) when he edged one off Noor to Saha. From 92 for no loss to 117 for six, GT had fought their way back. While there were nerves in the crowd, there was enough experience in the middle to take them home.
..And breathe @RCBTweets fans 😃
Swapnil Singh hits the winning runs 😎
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Dinesh Karthik calmed his team during the storm and was well supported by Swapnil. Their sensible batting ensured RCB got home in the 14th over, earning a big win.