AHMEDABAD: Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten half-century as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won the IPL series by beating Gujarat Titans in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing 156 runs, RCB lost 5 wickets in 18 overs and reached the target.
Kohli finished the win in style with a six, hitting 75 off 42 balls with 9 fours and 3 sixes. He pointed towards the stands as the Bengaluru players rushed onto the field in celebration.
It marked another historic night for RCB and Kohli, who ended their long wait for the IPL title from last year at the same venue before successfully defending their crown this season.
With more than 90,000 fans in attendance at the world’s largest cricket stadium, Kohli dominated the sea of red in the stands.
He and opener Venkatesh Iyer scored 32 off 16 balls to give Bengaluru a brilliant start with a 62-run partnership. However, Mohammad Siraj broke the deadlock by dismissing Iyer, while Kagiso Rabada dismissed Devdat from the other end.
Rashid Khan then struck twice in the same over, removing skipper Rajat Patidar for 15 and Krunal Pandya to briefly lift Gujarat’s hopes.
Tim David (24) combined with Kohli to stabilize the innings at 41 runs.
Earlier, RCB’s bowling attack laid the foundation for the win, with Rasik Salam impressing with 3/27, while Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar took two wickets each in a decent display.
Opting to bowl first, RCB justified their decision by batting early. Hazlewood dismissed Shubman Gill for 10 with 2 fours off 8 balls, Rajat Patidar took a sharp catch while Kumar dismissed Sai Sudarsan for 12.
Washington Sundar provided the opposition with an unbeaten 50 off 37 balls with 5 boundaries, but Gujarat struggled to form partnerships as wickets continued to fall.
Krunal Pandya dismissed Jos Buttler for 19 as Gujarat reeled at 73-4 in 12.1 overs.
Despite Sundar’s resilience, Gujarat Titans were restricted to a low total and eventually finished as runners-up for the second time in three finals. Their only IPL title is in their debut season in 2022.
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