At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore and won by a margin of six wickets in their final IPL 2023 league match. GT reached 198/4 in 19.1 overs, needing 198 runs to win, with Shubman Gill hitting the decisive six. With the six, Gill slammed an undefeated 104 runs off 52 balls, smashing eight sixes and five fours in the process.
Gill was brilliant and extremely calm throughout the chase. He started with some crisp drives and gave a good start in the powerplay. When Vijay Shankar was struggling at the other end to get going, Gill broke the shackles hitting sixes against spinners.
The run rate never crept above 12 as the GT batters particularly Shubhman kept hitting at least one boundary per over. Vijay Shankar played a handy knock with 53 off 35 balls playing second fiddle to Gill. With 8 needed off the last over, Parnell bowled 1 wide and a no-ball. Gill smashed the free hit for a maximum to shatter the hopes of the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Mohammed Siraj grabbed two wickets for RCB in his 4 overs. The game was first postponed owing to rain, and Virat Kohli’s lone hand led RCB to 197/5 in 20 overs with a legendary 101* off 61 balls, packed with 13 fours and a maximum. Kohli’s innings was of the top most quality as the RCB opener kept batting irrespective of wickets falling at the other end. He did not slow down in the process as he maintained a healthy strike rate throughout the innings.
The Playoffs
With this loss, RCB’s dream of winning an IPL title still is a dream. This loss opened the doors for MI to qualify for the playoffs. GT finished the league phase as the number one team. Gujarat will face Chennai Super Kings in the Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, 23 May while Lucknow Super Giants will clash against the Mumbai Indians on 24th May.Â
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