Virat Kohli (101 not out off 61 balls) churned out yet another innings of substance that lifted Royal Challengers Bangalore to a formidable total of 197/5 in their must-win clash against table-toppers Gujarat Titans at the Chinnaswamy in Bangalore on Sunday.
Yet, that didn’t prove to be enough as Shubman Gill (104 not out off 52 balls) played an equally brilliant knock, if not even superior, which helped the Titans chase down the stiff target and beat RCB by six wickets, much to the delight of Mumbai Indians as the result confirmed their qualification to the playoffs. Rohit Sharma and Co. will now face Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator in Chennai on Wednesday.
The former India and RCB captain brought up his second consecutive century in IPL 2023 that helped his team's innings to be back on track after it was derailed to a certain extent by the Titans' Afghan spin duo of Noor Ahmad (2/39) and Rashid Khan (1/24). The game began 55 minutes past its scheduled start because of rain.
In reply, the Titans rode on Gill’s excellent strokeplay and his 123-run second-wicket stand with Vijay Shankar (53 off 35 balls) tha laid the foundation for their 10th victory in the ongoing edition. Shankar was a tad fortunate as several of his runs came through edges which on another day could have led to his dismissal, but there was no doubt whatsoever on Gill’s fluency.
RCB tried to claw their way back in the game with the quick dismissals of Dasun Shanaka and David Miller. But Gill stood firm till he saw his team home with five balls to spare.
If Kohli’s hundred was deserving, so was Gill’s and the night rightly belonged to him.