GT Outclass RCB in IPL 2025 Thriller at Chinnaswamy

Gujarat Titans defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by eight wickets with 13 balls remaining in a thrilling match that took place at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 2, 2025. The match featured GT's strong execution, which denied RCB their home victory despite the enthusiastic host display.

RCB encountered early batting challenges after the losing toss because GT's paceman Mohammed Siraj sent down damage-packed deliveries. On returning to his former playing grounds, Siraj delivered quick dismissals of Phil Salt (14) and Devdutt Padikkal (4) during the power play, and Arshad Khan removed Virat Kohli (7). The hallowed batting order of RCB managed only 42/4 at this point in the game. Liam Livingstone smashed 54 runs off 40 deliveries while partnering with Jitesh Sharma, who scored 33 off 21 balls to help RCB recover their innings. The partnership of 67 runs between the batter pair carried RCB to a total of 169 runs before the end of the 20 overs, while Siraj obtained three wickets with 19 runs conceded and player Ishant Sharma took down the team leader, Rajat Patidar, for 12 runs.

GT entered the run chase against RCB with a cautious approach because the opposition's bowling duo of Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar maintained consistent discipline. The early breakthrough came from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who sent GT captain Shubman Gill back to the pavilion after the batsman scored 14 runs. The match stabilized when Sai Sudharsan hit 49 runs while Jos Buttler continued his aggressive run to reach 73 not out. Sudharsan just missed out on a fifty, but Buttler scored an unbeaten seventy-three along with three sixes during Hazlewood's final over, resulting in GT's 170/2 finish in 17.5 overs. Both GT's 170-run tally and Buttler's 39-ball half-century communicated the team's top-notch performance as RCB's bowling unit struggled to restrict scoring on this high-scoring match day.

The loss ended RCB’s unbeaten streak, exposing vulnerabilities in their top order despite a deep batting lineup. For GT, the victory marked their second win of the season, boosting their confidence and net run rate. Patidar later reflected, “We targeted 190, but early wickets hurt us. The intent was there, and our bowlers fought well to take it to the 18th over.” As the IPL 2025 campaign progresses, both teams will look to build on this high-octane clash at Chinnaswamy.