Ahmedabad, 01 May (H.S.):

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered a four-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday, but their bowlers kept the contest alive until the end despite a disappointing batting display. The score and result align with the match reports, which show RCB were bowled out for 155 and GT chased 158/6 to win by four wickets.

Batting first, RCB posted 155 runs, after which the bowlers put in a disciplined effort and prevented Gujarat from wrapping up the chase comfortably. Even in defeat, mentor Dinesh Karthik praised the bowling unit and the overall attitude of the team. He said the most commendable thing was the players’ attitude and the collective effort of the bowlers, adding that RCB had pressured the opposition through the middle overs like a champion side and that the result could have been different if a few moments had gone their way.

Karthik also praised Virat Kohli’s brisk start of 28 off 13 balls, calling it vintage Virat, especially for the way he batted against Rabada. However, he said the lack of partnerships cost RCB the game because wickets kept falling at regular intervals whenever the team had a chance to build momentum.

Head coach Andy Flower said after the match that this was not the result RCB had come for and admitted that the batting unit did not produce its best performance. He called it a disappointing outcome and said that with such a score, a team cannot expect to win many matches, while also stressing that the batting group knows it can do better.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar