Gujarat Titans (GT) ended Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) strong start to the season and recorded a second consecutive victory themselves with an eight-wicket victory at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, in Match 14 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. While they chased down a target of 170 with 13 balls to spare, a strong bowling performance led by Player of the Match Mohammed Siraj (3/19) laid the foundation.
Courtesy of a handsome performance, GT entered the top-4 of the points table, while RCB were in third place. GT’s run-chase was fueled by Jos Buttler’s boundary-filled 73*(39) and the highly consistent Sai Sudharsan’s 49(36). However, restricting RCB to 169 on a good batting track gave the visitors a defining advantage as Siraj’s spell was backed up by the rest of the bowling unit, with five of the six bowlers used joining in on the wicket-taking.

After being put in to bat by GT, RCB and Phil Salt had some luck going their way early on as wicket-keeper Jos Buttler dropped Salt on 0 off Siraj in the very first over.

However, that was the only bit of good luck RCB enjoyed for a while. Left-arm pacer Arshad Khan got the huge wicket of Virat Kohli (7 off 6), before Siraj cleaned up Devdutt Padikkal’s off-stump, picking up from where he left off in GT’s previous game against MI.

The Siraj-Salt saga was not over just yet. Salt sent Siraj’s short of length delivery flying out of the M. Chinnaswamy stadium for a 105m six over midwicket in the fifth over. But Siraj responded superbly, making a mess of the stumps off the very next delivery.

Rajat Patidar departed soon after, and RCB suddenly found themselves at 42/4 just after the powerplay.

An entertaining stand between Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone, during which Rahul Tewatia dropped a sitter off Sai Kishore as Livingstone survived, revived RCB. However, the partnership ended just on the stroke of 50 runs as Tewatia made amends, holding on to a skier from Jitesh Sharma (33 off 21) off Kishore again.

Livingstone made GT pay though. He upped the ante in the 18th over, smashing Rashid Khan for three sixes on his way to a 40-ball 54.

Tim David – who has the second-most runs for a batter in overs 16-20 since IPL 2022 – too joined the party as his 18-ball 32 carried RCB to a competitive 169/8 after 20 overs. Amidst all the slog overs carnage, Siraj (3-19) and Kishore (2-22) were the shining lights of GT’s bowling show.

GT’s innings got off to a cautious yet good start, before skipper Shubman Gill was sent back for 14(14) by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and GT were 33/1 after five overs. The highly consistent Sai Sudharsan and the ever dependable Jos Buttler then got together to swing the game GT’s way.

After a cautious start, Buttler changed gears in an 18-run over off Rasikh Dar Salam. The duo of Buttler and Sudharsan brought up a 50-run stand with GT cruising along at 82/1 at the halfway stage in the chase.

A six from Buttler, followed by back-to-back fours from Sudharsan off Krunal Pandya’s over, brought GT’s equation down to 65 runs needed off 48.

Sudharsan missed out on his third consecutive fifty this season, walking back for an impressive 49(36). Buttler did not miss out, though, getting to his second half-century this season off just 31 balls with a six over long-on. With support from Sherfane Rutherford (30* off 18), the duo sealed the chase handsomely in 17.5 overs, with Buttler remaining unbeaten on 73.

GT take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad next on Sunday, April 6th, while RCB take on Mumbai Indians in Mumbai on Monday, April 7th.