IPL 2025, RCB vs GT Highlights: Gujarat Titans beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 8-wickets

This has been a cracking innings from Jos Buttler. He has got to his half-century. The most impressive part about this inning has been how superbly he has been able to control this innings. He has managed things brilliantly in this chase. The RCB bowling who did have a couple of good games has been found out today. They have had their fair share of issues in bowling in the middle overs do RCB with the lack of a good spinner and yet again so far how this season has gone it seems like they need someone to bowl well in the middle overs and pick wickets apart from just Krunal Pandya.

Josh Hazlewood has come back into the attack and picked up the wicket of Sai Sudharsan. The batter tried to scoop one but they did not get anywhere near the middle and keeper Jitesh took a simple catch. It might not be the worst thing to happen from GT's perspective as Sherfane Rutherford comes into the middle and we might see some fireworks and close out this game quickly and get some boost in NRR. From the RCB perspective, it is all about bowling some tight overs getting that run rate up and trying and sneak a wicket to put the pressure. 

This is running away quite quickly from RCB. Both Buttler and Sudharsan have changed the gears and Krunal is taking a bit of tapping. This is what the problem here in this stadium has been. Teams bowling first have been able to exploit something early on in the innings however, as the innings goes on or even the match goes on things become quite indifferent and today a similar thing happened. RCB bowlers did have something to work with the new ball but they did not have a lot. And once the first three overs were done things got quite flat and batting has become a cakewalk.

We are done with the strategic time out and RCB has gone with Krunal Pandya after the break. Impact substitute Rasikh Salam thus far is having a day to forget. GT is going about this chase quite methodically. However, with two set batters in the middle, it might be time when one of them put their foot on the accelerator. While Sai Sudharsan is more of an anchor it might Buttler who will be going after the bowling. Also, it might not be a bad ploy for Patidar to bring back Hazlewood and complete his quote here as it seems like this might not go 20 overs if this partnership is not broken.

While there have been reservations about Sai Sudharsan's strike rate his consistency has been unreal. Today he has got himself to another start and is batting brilliantly. In chases like this where the required run rate is about 8s, it is his kind of batting will do the job. Jos Buttler too since coming to the franchise has played quite sensibly. He understood the situation of the game and batted accordingly in all the games GT played. It is looking like an uphill task for RCB from here on. They need a cluster of wickets or bowl a few good overs just put some sort of pressure back on GT.

Shubman Gill scored a six of Bhuvenshwar Kumar and when he tried to do the same again the ball took the outside edge and Liam Livingstone and third man came running in to take the catch. That is the breakthrough Bengaluru needed. They have to pick one more here. Given how the Titans are built they are quite reliant on their top order. If the Bengaluru can pick one more here that might just set in some panic in Titans. Also, RCB has made their substitution call and it is Rasikh Salam Dhar hence RCB has only one spinner in their attack which is Krunal.

This has been a cautious start by the Titans. Both Bhuvenshwar and Hazlewood are experienced campaigners. Regardless of whether there is a moment or not they bowl quite well and with discipline which has tied down both these openers. As we update Sai Sudharsan has scored a couple of boundaries to break the shackles. RCB does have a poor record at this venue and whatever we have seen here so far it seems like another game they are going to lose here at home. Rajat Patidar with the way things have gone might consider bringing spin into the attack.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has opened the bowling here for Bengaluru. The ball is not nibbling as much as it did in the first innings. Josh Hazlewood has taken the ball from other end. It will be interesting to see how Gujarat will go about this chase. They are usually a side that takes the time initially and presses the accelerator as the innings goes on. However, today they can close this game early and get some NRR into their bag. As per RCB they have to strike early. Hazlewood has been in superb form but the challenge on this ground is completely different.

I felt when you bowl into the wicket, it was assisting the spinners, but you never know until both teams bowl on it. What I mean by that is getting good shape on the ball and bowling like a proper red ball game. To be relevant in T20 cricket, you have to keep evolving. Over the last 3-4 years I have been practicing that ball but haven't bowled it anywhere (the one which dismissed Krunal). But I felt I was confident enough to bowl it in this IPL so I went with my instinct. It's like a carrom ball. I get more dip on it. I don't know what it is so I can call it anything.

Prasidh Krishna has picked up the wicket of Tim David of the final ball after taking a bit of pasting. 169/8 is what RCB has got here and it is good 30-35 short. It will be interesting to see if the new ball will do as much as it did for the GT pacers as RCB themselves do have quite good seamers who can exploit any nibble if available. Do stay with us for the run chase.

Liam Livingstone scored a half-century and has departed. It was a scratchy innings until Rashid Khan came in he did not have breathing space but credit must be given where it is due he did get hold of Rashid. However, Siraj who is having a day out comes and picks him. He bowls one wide wobble seam delivery which Livingstone tries to cut and edges it to the keeper.

Regardless of how much Bengaluru gets here, it will not be good enough to restrict the Titans unless they pick up a few early wickets and the bowlers bowl exceptionally. The captaincy from Shubman Gill has been quite impressive today. He used pacers when he had to and once they got into the lower half of the RCB batting order Gill has continued with spinners.

While the rest of the other bowlers have had their moments in the tournament. It has been Rashid Khan who is not looking in good form. It has not been the only tournament he has been struggling in. In the last tournament for Afghanistan, he did not have a record which we are accustomed to. It seems like he just lost a bit of zip in his bowling these days since coming back from the injury.

Krunal Pandya who has walked into the middle is gone now. It was another beautifully tossed-up delivery and Ravi Shastri in commentary reckons that it was a carrom ball that gripped and turned. Krunal Pandya tried to work the ball on the leg-side and it got the leading edge straight back to the bowler. Kishore is going through quite a brilliant spell here.

Sai Kishore picks up Jitesh Sharma. It was a wide tossed-up delivery that Jitesh tried to whack and got high on the bat. The ball did go quite high in the air and Tewatia took a lovely catch of a swirling ball in the air. Earlier it was Tewatia who dropped the catch. While Rashid has been a little up and down it has been Sai Kishore who has been in good form and bowled brilliantly. 

Things have gone to plan for the Titans so far in this game. Batting first is always a tricky business here in Bengaluru especially in the early part of the season with bowling wobbling around. However, both Livingstone and Jitesh have done the hard work and with the impact player rule they still have quite a bit of batting to come if they get to somewhere around 200 it will give them a fighting chance.

Prasidh Krishna is in the middle of quite a brilliant spell here. In the last game against Mumbai Indians, he bowled quite well with the old ball mixing up his pace nicely today he is hitting the hard lengths and extracting something out of the surface. It has not been always the case with Prasidh sometimes he has been a bit expensive in this format of the game but this season is thusfar good.

Jitesh Sharma has been quite restless since coming in however, against Ishant he did get a couple of boundaries away. The way Jitesh has batted in the last five minutes or so is an indication that the moisture that was there in this wicket has now disappeared and the ball is coming nicely onto the bat. The onus is on both Jitesh and Livingstone here to make it big.

Rajat Patidar drove one through covers and Ishant Sharma followed up with a delivery slightly pulling his length back and it was a cross-seam delivery. Patidar tried to hit the ball across the line and the ball hit the pad and was judged LBW. The batter had a dilemma of reviewing however, Livingstone said a nay!.

The ball has been seaming around here nicely for the Titans seamers. They have hit predominantly the hard lengths and the ball has been nipping a bit that is where in lies Siraj's strength and he has been able to make the most of the conditions here. RCB are in quite a bit of a pickle here early in the piece they need a partnership to sort out things.

Phil Salt hit one of Mohammed Siraj's deliveries for a six which has gone out of the boundary. And as we update Mohammed Siraj has picked up Phil Salt. The batter tried to whack another one seeing the full one however, it was a scramble seam delivery which Salt missed and the off-stump got shattered. RCB has lost the third wicket now.

This is quite a start for the Titans. Especially Mohammed Siraj has been in superb rhythm here early on. He is bowling superbly and seems like he does have a point to prove here after all. Skipper Rajat Patidar has walked into the middle for RCB and it will be interesting to see what his approach will be here after a couple of quick wickets in the powerplay.

Arshad Khan has picked up Virat Kohli. It was a short ball on ribs which Kohli pulled straight to square leg. He got the middle but found the fielder. Meanwhile, as we update Mohammed Siraj has scalped Devdutt Padikkal. He tried to give himself some room and get the ball through the off-side however, missed it Siraj's bowled sneaked through.

Well, it has been an eventful first over. Phil Salt charged down the track and the ball took the outside from a Mohammed Siraj delivery which Jos Buttler dropped behind the stumps. Bengaluru have been given a free pass here early in the innings. It will be interesting to see how much damage can Salt inflict here.

Both Virat Kohli and Phil Salt are in the middle. The crowd is buzzing the GT team is out on the field as well. It is promising to be another cracking contest in the IPL as it always is do stay with us for all the updates through the evening.

It's pitch number 6 which wasn't used last year. 68m and 61m square boundaries, the straight boundary is 73m. 68m and 74m pockets on either side of the straight boundary. The wicket looks pretty dry, but there could be good bounce. It's well covered with grass and the pitch looks firm. It does look like a very good track, the ball should come on nicely. Toss doesn't really matter with 197 being the average first innings total, local knowledge says that dew could be a factor later on

(Team is) Very confident. Great start to the tournament, two games on the road, we said about making a strong start as it helps in the later stages, hopefully we can carry it on here. It is our first chance to play in front of our home fans, everybody is really excited, we have been waiting for this day for a long while now, hopefully we can go out and put on a show. I enjoy both (batting and bowling). I feel like I can contribute with both these days, bowling might be a little difficult at this ground than what it is away from home, excited for the challenge and hopefully I can contribute with both tonight. There hasn't been much dew when we have trained. We don't know what the pitch is going to happen, try and assess the conditions with whatever we do first, hopefully we have got the skill sets to beat these guys tonight. We have set plans for the opposition teams but you can't predict what the pitch is going to do, I think real skill is being able to assess the conditions as quickly as possible, it helps having people like Hoff (Hazlewood) with the new ball and Virat with the bat, those guys have a lot of cricket behind them and they are pretty good at assessing conditions, just passing on the message, knowing what we need whether we are batting or bowling. It is certainly nice to have them on our team than playing against them, we have some really good experience in our squad, we have got some young talented boys, but you can't buy experience, our seam attack is experienced, which is what you need in the tournament. We look around that dressing room and you need that trust, when I look around there's certainly no holes in our team. We are really confident and like I said, really excited for tonight.

First of all, I want to thank everyone for the opportunity to be playing in the IPL, it's always great to be playing in this tournament, as a team we're in a good space, we'll take 1 (win) from 2 on any day. Unfortunately for me, it hasn't been a good start, I think I could have done better, but it's a lot of learning and a lot of positives, I think I can keep learning as the days go by. It definitely did a lot for us (on the win in the last match), after the first half, we felt we were 10-15 runs short, but the bowlers adapted well on a slow surface, it's all about improving in small areas and doing better tonight. Definitely, I feel the same way 9on his performance). I still think I could have won the first match for my team. This is always a good wicket with a small ground (on the Chinnaswamy stadium), it's important to assess and make the adjustments. He's (on Virat Kohli) one of the greatest players, as a team, we have plans, it might not always work, but we'll have to follow the plans and hopefully he'll make a mistake.

Gujarat Titans Impact Subs: Sherfane Rutherford, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact Subs: Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh.

Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal

Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma

Would've bowled first as well because it's a new surface. It's pretty hard and won't change much. The way boys are chipping in gives a lot of confidence as a captain. We love this crowd. The way they love us and the support we've always received is incredible. Same team.

We'll bowl first. Looks like a good wicket. We've seen the conditions don't change much. We're all about reducing our unforced errors. We'll try to finetune the areas that need it. Kagiso misses out due to personal reasons so we've got Arshad Khan back.

Weather forecast for the RCB vs. GT cricket match in Bengaluru. It predicts temperatures ranging from 26 to 29 degrees Celsius, with high humidity (40-61%) and a small chance of rain. The temperature will decrease slightly during the match, and dew is expected to be a factor later on.

Yes, because that’s the way the game is headed. You can’t sit back and complain about the conditions. You must do something about it as a bowler. However, the game of cricket as a whole would just be boring if you just saw high scores or low scores all the time. The most exciting games are the ones which hang in the balance, requiring batters to apply themselves when wickets fall and play really well to win matches for their teams, or bowlers to step up in the same manner. It shouldn’t be about just survival for either.

The game has to progress somehow, but I don’t think it can just get too flat, like every single game. It would take the fun out of it. You know, then you might as well call our sport Batting, and not Cricket. I have no issues with a few records being broken, that’s fine. High-scoring games are good, but so are low-scoring games. But you can’t have it tilting either side too dramatically, there needs to be a balance that is maintained between bat and ball.

“A very proud moment for me personally was last year when, we were under a lot of pressure, had won just one game from 8 and then we turned it around, won 6 six in a row and made it to the play-offs. So the way we handled ourselves as a group then I was very proud,” 

“Remember when you bat, you don’t have to live up to any reputation. You use your cricketing nuance, play the situation and play to your strengths.”

“It is just the start of the tournament, there is still long way to go. But we couldn’t have asked for a better start from Rajat. He has led from the front with the bat. Important for a leader to evidence how he wants to play through his own actions and he is doing that. I’m enjoying that — growing a relationship with him. Hopefully is in the same boat and enjoying it as well,” 

The Chinnaswamy Stadium's pitch is heavily batting-friendly, promising a high-scoring match, particularly if Bengaluru bats first due to their strong batting form. A par score is expected to be around 200-210 runs, aided by the stadium's small boundaries. While the pitch offers decent bounce, pacers might find some initial assistance in the early overs.

Weather forecast for the RCB vs. GT cricket match in Bengaluru. It predicts temperatures ranging from 26 to 29 degrees Celsius, with high humidity (40-61%) and a small chance of rain. The temperature will decrease slightly during the match, and dew is expected to be a factor later on.

RCB has assembled a team with specific roles in mind, making them a formidable opponent at Chinnaswamy Stadium. If these players perform their roles effectively at home, RCB will have a significant advantage. Winning five out of their seven home games would greatly increase their chances of success this season.

After losing Yuzvendra Chahal, RCB shifted their spin strategy. Instead of searching for a similar type of spinner, they acquired Krunal Pandya, who offers a different style with his quick, flat deliveries, making him difficult to score against. They've also added Suyash Sharma and Liam Livingstone to provide variety in their spin attack.

Recognizing the small margin for error for bowlers at Chinnaswamy, RCB has acquired experienced pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. These bowlers are expected to take early wickets with the new ball, which is crucial for limiting opposition scores. Additionally, their ability to bowl yorkers at the death ensures RCB has strong options for both the beginning and end of innings, essential for success at their home ground.

To address the challenge of bowling in Chinnaswamy's batting-friendly conditions, RCB has prioritized experienced bowlers who can both take wickets and maintain control, rather than relying on inexperienced options.

Previously, RCB's batting relied heavily on their top three players, leading to struggles in setting high scores when those players didn't perform. Now, with a deeper and more powerful batting lineup, RCB can consistently post formidable totals. This will make playing at Chinnaswamy Stadium even more challenging for visiting teams, as they'll face both a loud crowd and a potent batting order.

RCB has built a deep and powerful batting lineup, featuring Phil Salt for aggressive starts, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal for stability, Rajat Patidar and Liam Livingstone for middle-order acceleration, and Tim David and Jitesh Sharma for finishing. This depth is a significant improvement for RCB, who previously relied heavily on their top three batsmen.

The Chinnaswamy Stadium is known for high-scoring matches, amplified by the Impact Player rule which favors strong batting lineups. RCB, with Virat Kohli providing stability, has focused on building a deep batting order to aggressively pressure opponents from the start. They've maintained this aggressive approach from the end of last season into their first two matches, utilizing players suited to this style.

“Everybody knows what to expect from the surface here in Bengaluru. We’ve recruited a team that we think is pretty powerful, with a batting line-up we hope that can exploit those batting conditions. And we think we’ve got a bowling attack that’s particularly skilful and which can deal with the challenge – not just attacking, but also defending here. So that’s been our focus from the moment we started assembling our squad. And the way we played in the first two games, we’re building good confidence,”

RCB has historically struggled with its bowling attack at its home ground. However, they've been preparing for this season since 2023. They brought in coach Andy Flower to assess conditions and players, and then aimed to build a balanced squad during the mega auction, addressing a previous weakness.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), despite a strong start to the season with wins in Kolkata and Chennai, now face the challenge of playing at their home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The stadium's small boundaries, flat pitch, and high altitude create conditions that heavily favor batsmen and make it extremely difficult for bowlers. RCB's coach, Andy Flower, emphasizes the need to adapt and win, regardless of the challenging home conditions.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans are optimistic after a recent away win, but the team has historically struggled at their home stadium, the M Chinnaswamy, with a poor win record since 2017. They need to improve their home performance to change their "noisy neighbours" image.

Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma

Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, R Sai Kishore, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma

"I think it's been pretty good. The main thing you want to see from any leader or captain is typically that they continue to let their personality come across. And I think he's done that really well. We don't want him to become a captain and be anybody else. We want him to be himself. So very calm, inwardly and outwardly. He rarely, if ever, takes a backward step. And we've seen that with his batting, particularly in the day at CSK. Every time we lost a wicket, he continued to throw punches, which was really good. And he seems to have coped with all the other stuff that comes with captaincy really well as well in some busy times. So at the minute I think he's been excellent. He's done everything I hoped and expected him to be. We know it's early days. There's a lot of cricket left to be played. And when we get through the busy part of the schedule and the fixtures come thick and fast. And no doubt we'll have some challenges at some point in the season. That'll be a time where we've really got to be there to support him. But at the minute he's been very impressive."

"There is a lot of planning that goes in before we get out on the pitch. But the advantage of having somebody like Gill right there is that you can go up to him and ask him, what do you think is a better line length to be bowling on this pitch? What would you do? So it's nice to have Gill and every other experienced player around. There's Jos that's keeping, there's Siraj, there's KG. Everybody has played a lot of cricket. Ishant Sharma also came in the last game..And as a team, if you can discuss, have the communication going, it really helps. And Shubman is a guy that I've known for quite some time now. And it's really easy for any of us to go approach him and get his feedback."

Oh Miyan, our Miyan! ?

We're glad to see you, Siraj. ♥? pic.twitter.com/qsimrIdXUp

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) April 1, 2025

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, R Sai Kishore, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

• Impact Player: Ishant Sharma

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.

• Impact Player: Suyash Sharma