Resurging Bengaluru record third consecutive win to boost playoff hopes

In the most ups and downs match of IPL 2024, Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Gujarat Titans by 4 wickets and registered their third consecutive win and fourth win in the season. In this match played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru's fast bowlers bundled out Gujarat for just 147 runs. After this, Faf Du Plessis's explosive innings had ensured Bengaluru's victory, but after suddenly losing 6 wickets in the middle overs, the danger of defeat started looming. In the end, Dinesh Karthik and Swapnil Singh took the team to victory in the 14th over itself.

Siraj-Yash Dayal destroyed GT

Bengaluru's bowling, which has been continuously getting beaten in the power play since the beginning of this season, gave its best performance of this season and put Gujarat on the backfoot. Mohammad Siraj gave a strong start to the team by taking the wickets of Wriddhiman Saha and Shubhman Gill in the second and fourth overs. Then in the sixth over, Cameron Green also took the wicket of Sai Sudarshan. Sudarshan was Gujarat's most successful batsman this season but was out in single digits for the first time. In this way, Gujarat could score only 23 runs in the powerplay, which was the lowest score of this season.

Despite this, Shahrukh Khan and David Miller counter-attacked and scored runs rapidly while targeting the Bengaluru bowlers. A partnership of 61 runs between the two brought Gujarat's comeback. Then Karn Sharma took the wicket of David Miller, while Kohli put a break on the pace by running out Shahrukh on a direct throw. Here Rahul Tewatia came and scored runs quickly but still it was not enough to take Gujarat to a big score. Gujarat lost the last 3 wickets in the first 3 balls of the 20th over and the team collapsed at 147. Siraj, Vijaykumar Vaishak and Yash Dayal took 2-2 wickets for Bengaluru.

Duplessis-Kohli created a stir as soon as they arrived

In response, Bengaluru made such a start that even the team itself would hardly have expected. Virat Kohli gave a fast start by hitting 2 sixes in the first over itself and then captain Faf du Plessis rained boundaries. The Bengaluru captain scored a half-century in just 18 balls, which was also the fastest half-century by RCB this season. Kohli also hit two consecutive sixes on young spinner Manav Sutar. Together, both of them took the team to 92 runs in the powerplay, which is the biggest score of RCB in IPL history.

6 wickets for 25 runs, still won

From here RCB's victory seemed certain but then the real drama began. In the sixth over, left-arm pacer Josh Little took the wicket of Duplessis, who was out after playing an explosive innings of 64 runs in 23 balls. Suddenly the fall of wickets started. RCB lost 4 wickets in 3 consecutive overs, 3 of which were taken by Little. Little also dismissed Cameron Green in his last over, while Noor Ahmed took the wicket of Virat in the 11th over.

Bengaluru lost 6 wickets for just 25 runs and the match became thrilling. There was hope of victory for Gujarat but Dinesh Karthik and Swapnil Singh extinguished this ray of hope. Both of them made an unbeaten partnership of 35 runs in just 18 balls and gave the team victory in 13.4 overs. Swapnil Singh ended the match by hitting a six.