The Royal Challengers Bangalore were eliminated from the IPL 2023 on Sunday (May 22) after losing at home to the Gujarat Titans despite a Virat Kohli one-man performance. Due to severe rain and even a hailstorm in Bangalore, the game was delayed; nonetheless, after a brief interruption, RCB only needed to win to overtake Mumbai Indians because they had a superior net run rate. They were given the ball after losing the toss and asked to bat, scoring 197-5 thanks to Virat Kohli’s eighth IPL century, a record. Shubman Gill went on to lead Gujarat to victory in the final over, eliminating RCB, but that still wasn’t enough.
Again, Faf and Kohli take to the tee
Faf du Plessis took on Mohammed Shami, the purple cap holder, after a subdued beginning thanks to some tight bowling from Yash Dayal and Shami, and smashed him for four fours in his second over. Virat Kohli did the same, blasting Yash Dayal for three consecutive boundaries in the subsequent over. The openers showed no compassion and controlled the powerplay, hitting 62-0 in 6 overs despite the dreaded spinners entering during the powerplay.
The Afghan demolition work
Despite the exciting powerplay, Faf du Plessis was caught at slip by Noor Ahmad, as has frequently happened in this IPL, resulting in the first breakthrough. Rashid Khan soon knocked Maxwell down, while Noor stumped Lomror, causing a mini-collapse from 67-0 to 85-3. However, Virat Kohli stayed, and Michael Bracewell was brought in, so damage control was necessary while also keeping the scoring going.
The rescue operation and again another blip
A major advantage for RCB was Michael Bracewell’s assimilation and Virat Kohli’s continued unblemished play. After resisting the fall and keeping the boundaries coming at a good rate, the two added 47 runs in 29 balls to help RCB get back on track. Dinesh Karthik was caught behind after Bracewell left the pitch, going first ball. In 15 overs, RCB was 136-5 and in desperate need of another miraculous comeback. Can they? They could just?
Once more, it’s Virat Kohli
The opportunity to play sheet anchor was gone. He scored 38 off the following 18 runs to cruise to his second consecutive hundred at the crunch time of the competition and his seventh IPL hundred, which set a record and surpassed Chris Gayle’s six hundreds. He had scored 63 off 43 at the end of the 15th. In a game that RCB had to win, Anuj Rawat came in to assist Kohli, and the two added 64 runs off of 34 deliveries to push the team’s total to 197.
The master of power plays
For Saha, they had made plans. not too much. Nothing immediately nearby. And guess who took the wicket after Saha eventually gave up and attempted to cross the infield? Of course, the king of the powerplay is Mohammed Siraj. Vijay Shankar and Shubman Gill, however, immediately succeeded in bringing Gujarat to 51-1 by the end of the powerplay. They weren’t playing very fluidly and weren’t keeping up with the desired rate, so several of their runs went through the edges.
Gill started, but…
Vijay Shankar didn’t, though. He was in that awkward situation where he couldn’t clear the circle but wasn’t losing his wicket either. At one end, Shubman Gill absolutely tore through the opposition, while Shankar could only muster a run-a-ball at the other, which was insufficient when chasing almost 200. He hurried to 53 off 34 (21 in 8 balls) from 32 off 26 (with a 106-meter six to reach his fifty), but…
Fear for Gujarat, optimism for RCB
Shankar’s wild ride came to an end when Vyshak removed him on the very next ball. Soon after, Dasun Shanaka arrived, sending Gujarat into a slight panic and putting Gill under pressure. However, David Miller was still to arrive, and when he did, he joined Gill at the crease as the needed rate increased and went above 10. We were in for an exciting conclusion to the league stages because Miller and Gill were both having trouble timing the ball at this point.
A thrilling climax
Soon after, David Miller left the game because he was having trouble timing the ball, but Shubman Gill’s amazing blows had nearly brought the required rate to a run-a-ball. With Shubman Gill on 98* and 8 runs needed to win off the final over, the Gujarat Titans defeated the home team RCB and sent them home from the competition. RCB was still in the game going into the penultimate over.
Next, what?
On Tuesday, May 23, Qualifier 1 will feature the Gujarat Titans taking on the Chennai Super Kings. As a result, Mumbai Indians became the fourth team to qualify for the playoffs and will play LSG in the elimination game on Wednesday, May 24. This result eliminates RCB from the IPL 2023.