AHMEDABAD: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won back-to-back IPL titles with a victory over Gujarat Titans on Sunday, with Virat Kohli starring with an unbeaten half-century.
RCB chased down the target of 156 in 18 overs and won the game, losing five wickets in the process.
Kohli finished off a magnificent 42-ball innings that included nine fours and three sixes with a six to seal the win, then pointed to the stands as the Bengaluru players ran out to celebrate.
Bengaluru and Kohli have been on a roll since clinching their maiden IPL crown at the 18th attempt last year at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
The iconic number 18 jersey of Kohli was everywhere in the stands of the world’s biggest cricket ground, which had an official attendance of over 90,000 spectators on Sunday.
Kohli and fellow opener Venkatesh Iyer, who scored 32 runs off 16 balls, provided Bengaluru with a strong start in a 62-run partnership.
Mohammed Siraj broke the partnership by getting Iyer out and Kagiso Rabada removed Devdutt Padikkal from the other end.
Rashid Khan struck twice in the same over to send back skipper Rajat Patidar for 15 and Krunal Pandya, boosting Gujarat’s hopes.
But Tim David and Kohli steadied the chase with a 41-run partnership. David fell for 24, but Kohli saw the team through with Jitesh Sharma for company.
The Quicks of Bengaluru set up the victory with a disciplined attack, and Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up two wickets each. Rasikh Salam was the pick of the bowlers with 3-27.
The trio defended their decision to bowl first against Gujarat, taking wickets regularly and early. Washington Sundar was the only one to resist much, scoring a defiant 50 not out.
Hazlewood was on the strike first, removing skipper Shubman Gill for 10, with Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar taking a good running catch.
In the next over, Kumar sent back the other opener, Sai Sudharsan, for 12.
Gill and Sudharsan were both in the race for the Orange Cap, awarded to the highest run-getter in an IPL season, but Rajasthan Royals’ 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi topped the list with 776 runs.
Gill (732) took the second spot and Sudharsan (722) the third. Kohli was fourth with 675 runs, including one hundred.
Jos Buttler and Nishant Sindhu, who made 20, tried to steady the Gujarat innings but had a tough time against the miserly attack, and soon Salam had Sindhu caught.
Krunal Pandya had Buttler stumped for 19 with his left-arm spin as Gujarat slumped to 73-4 in 12.1 overs.
More wickets fell, but Sundar did not give in and scored his fifty in the 20th over.
However, the effort wasn’t enough as Gujarat ended up as runners-up for the second time in three finals, with the only win coming in their debut season in 2022.
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