Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Gujarat Titans by five wickets, chasing over 200 runs. A brilliant 115-run partnership between Virat Kohli (81) and Devdutt Padikkal (55) set up the victory, which was sealed by Krunal Pandya.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) registered a five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans (GT) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday, built around a commanding partnership between Virat Kohli (81 off 44) and Devdutt Padikkal (55 off 27) in a 200-plus chase. The pair added 115 runs in 59 balls to shift the momentum decisively in RCB's favour, before Krunal Pandya finished the chase with a brisk 23 off 12 balls, according to a release.
'Unbelievable Shots': Players React to the Win
Reflecting on the victory, all-rounder Krunal Pandya said, "Anything above 200 is always a tough chase because you have to keep going at almost 10 runs per over. The way Virat and Dev (Devdutt Padikkal) batted, some of those shots were unbelievable. I'm glad I could contribute and finish the game; nothing beats getting those two points."
RCB's bowling unit also produced a strong comeback at the death, restricting the Gujarat Titans to just over 200 after a strong start. He further added, "It was a really good wicket to bat on, but to restrict them from a position where they were almost 170 for one or two to 205 was a very commanding effort. Credit goes to all the bowlers; everyone stepped up when it mattered."
Padikkal said, "We knew we had to build a big partnership and put the team in a strong position. Once we got the start, it was about taking it as deep as possible and making sure we kept the pressure on the opposition."
The victory also marked the end of RCB's campaign at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in the regular season. Padikkal lauded the incredible support from the fans. "Fans, thank you so much. You guys are really, really special. Every single game you turn up and really get behind the side no matter what."
Kohli Achieves Major IPL Milestone
In another milestone, Virat Kohli crossed 800 fours and 300 sixes in the IPL. He now holds the record for the most fours in IPL history and sits third on the all-time sixes list behind Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma, while also closing in on 9000 IPL runs. (ANI)
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