RCB and GT: An IPL rivalry defined by run chases

Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans squared off against one another in the 42nd match of the ongoing IPL season. It was a home game for Gujarat Titans as they hosted RCB at the Narendra Modi Stadium. This was the second meeting between the two sides.

RCB had beaten Titans by five wickets previously at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.Titans got their own back on RCB as they won by four wickets. Titans captain Shubman Gill won the toss and decided to chase. The decision bore fruit after the Titans bowlers restricted RCB to just 155.

Left-arm seamer Arshad Khan bagged a three-wicket haul and picked up the big wickets of the RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, Krunal Pandya and Venkatesh Iyer. He got good support from Jason Holder (2/29) and Rashid Khan (2/19), who also bagged two wickets apiece.

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Titans then chased the total down with 25 balls and five wickets to spare. Shubman Gill top-scored with 43 off 18. His knock came at a strike rate of 238.88 and was laced with four boundaries and three sixes. Jos Buttler also made a quick-fire 39 off just 19 balls to keep Titans in control of the asking rate. Rahul Tewatia (27* off 17) finished it off with a cameo.

Eight encounters, eight chases: RCB vs GT’s strange symmetry

This was the eighth IPL fixture between Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Strangely enough, the team chasing has won all eight matches. The head-to-head between the two teams was 4-3 in favour of RCB coming into this clash. Titans, with their win in Ahmedabad, have now made it even (4-4).