Virat Kohli was the name on everyone's lips on Sunday as he led the chase with 75 not out to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinch their second consecutive Indian Premier League title victory, with a 5-wicket win over Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Kohli scored 75 not out off 42 balls with nine fours and three sixes, smashing his fastest IPL fifty (25 balls) in the process as RCB chased down GT's subpar 156-run target, reaching 161 for five in 18 overs.
Rasikh Salam Dar claimed 3/27 while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood took two wickets apiece as a top-heavy Titans were restricted to 155 for eight in the first half.
RCB then rode on a 62-run opening stand between Venkatesh Iyer (32) and Kohli, who stood tall in the end with a match-winning six.
This comes after a top-heavy GT this time saw a number of their in-form batters—Shubhman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler—drop one after the other inside the powerplay of the first half, with only Washington Sundar managing to make an impact with a 50 not out.
Senior RCB pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/29) and Josh Hazlewood (2/37) made a serious impact with a couple of wickets apiece.
Salam's impressive run of 4-0-27-3 behind the lead bowlers saw him dismiss Nishant Sindhu (20 off 18 balls) and Rahul Tewatia to complete RCB's devastation on the cream of GT's batting line-up even before it could reach 100.
The odds were already stacked heavily against the 2022 IPL winners from the start of the second half, as per an ESPN Cricinfo report.
The report pointed out that this IPL season, there had been only four times (out of 27) when the chasing team has failed to chase a target less than 190.
This includes 151 in the 11-over game between MI and RR, 156 in the tied game between LSG and KKR, 160 in the LSG-RR match, and 169 in the SRH-GT match at Ahmedabad.
"Composure of the guys shone through tonight. After the break we had a couple of losses but we wanted to finish top. The win against MI gave us a lot of confidence. Just to have a group of guys where you don't feel that you are the only guy who has step up for the team is amazing," Kohli said after the match, which comes just 12 months after the title win that took an 18-year-ordeal for the Men in Red and Gold.
