Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 75 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Gujarat Titans by five wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday to clinch their second successive IPL title.
The triumph also saw Rajat Patidar join MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as only the third captain in IPL history to win back-to-back titles.
Chasing a modest target of 156, RCB reached 159/5 in 18 overs, with Kohli once again showcasing his mastery in run chases. The veteran batter remained unbeaten on 75 from 42 deliveries, striking nine fours and three sixes to guide his side home with 12 balls to spare.
RCB suffered an early setback when Mohammed Siraj dismissed Venkatesh Iyer for 32 after the opener miscued a short delivery to Kagiso Rabada at mid-on. Rabada then removed Devdutt Padikkal for just one, with the wicket taking the South African pacer to the top of the wicket-taking charts this season with 29 scalps in 17 matches.
Rashid Khan further dented RCB’s chase by claiming the wickets of Patidar (15) and Krunal Pandya (1) in the same over. However, Kohli ensured there were no further hiccups, bringing up his half-century in just 25 balls — his fastest IPL fifty. In doing so, he joined Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle as the only batters to score a 25-ball fifty in an IPL final, the second-fastest half-centuries in summit clash history.
Tim David chipped in with 24 before being caught behind off Arshad Khan, but Kohli stayed till the end and sealed the win with a six, sharing an unbroken stand with Jitesh Sharma.
Earlier, RCB’s bowlers set up the victory by restricting Gujarat Titans to 155/8 after Patidar won the toss and elected to field on a sluggish surface.
The pitch, which featured a mix of red and black soil, made stroke-making difficult and GT never managed to gain momentum. Washington Sundar top-scored with an unbeaten 50 off 37 balls, while Nishant Sindhu’s 20 was the next-best contribution.
RCB’s pace attack struck early to derail the Titans. Josh Hazlewood removed Shubman Gill for 10, with Patidar taking a well-judged catch after the GT skipper had hit a boundary off the previous delivery. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then accounted for Sai Sudharsan for 12, leaving the hosts under pressure.
Sundar and Jos Buttler (19) attempted to rebuild the innings, but Gujarat struggled to accelerate on the slow surface. Rasikh Salam Dhar starred with the ball, claiming 3/27, including the wickets of Rahul Tewatia and Nishant Sindhu, as GT failed to recover from their sluggish start.
In the end, RCB’s disciplined bowling effort and Kohli’s unbeaten masterclass proved too much for Gujarat Titans, as the Bengaluru franchise successfully defended their IPL crown.
