Bengaluru, 25 April (H.S.): Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) notched a stunning five‑wicket victory over Gujarat Titans at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, chasing down a 200‑plus target with a blistering partnership between Virat Kohli (81 off 44 balls) and Devdutt Padikkal (55 off 27 balls) at the helm.

The two batters stitched 115 runs for the second wicket off just 59 deliveries, decisively swinging the match in RCB’s favour. Krunal Pandya then sealed the win with an explosive 23 off 12 balls, steering the chase home with seven balls to spare.

After the game, Krunal Pandya said:

“Chasing a target above 200 is always tough because you have to maintain a virtual rate of around 10 runs an over. The way Virat and Dev batted was incredible; some of their shots were simply unbelievable. I’m glad I could contribute for the team and finish the match; there’s nothing better than grabbing two points.”

RCB’s bowlers also played a crucial role, pulling Gujarat back from a position of strength. After the Titans looked set for closer to 230 when they were around 170 in the 16th over, RCB conceded only 17 runs in the next three overs before Krunal went for 18 in the final over, restricting the total to 205 for 3 in the 20 overs.

Krunal added:

“The pitch was good for batting, but the way we dragged them from that position to 205 was a remarkable collective effort.

Credit goes to all the bowlers; everyone chipped in at crucial moments.”

Devdutt Padikkal reflected on the partnership, saying:

“We knew we had to build a big stand and get the team into a commanding position. After a solid start, our aim was to take the innings deep and keep the pressure on the opposition throughout.”

With this win, RCB closed their league‑stage campaign at the Chinnaswamy Stadium this season. Padikkal thanked the fans, saying:

“Thank you, fans, for your overwhelming support. You back the team in every match and it means a lot to us.”

Kohli also etched another landmark in this innings, completing 800 fours and 300 sixes in IPL history to become the league’s highest boundary‑hitter, while moving into the top three on the all‑time sixes list behind Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma. He is also nearing the 9,000‑run milestone in the IPL.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar