Gujarat Titans Dominate RCB with Siraj and Buttler’s Brilliance

With the end of the 14th match of IPL 2025, Gujarat Titans secured a dominant victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Chasing a target of 170, GT completed the run chase in just 17.5 overs with eight wickets in hand, handing RCB their first home defeat of the season.

RCB’S Batting Collapse and Livingstone’s Innings

RCB, after being put in to bat first by GT, struggled early on. Virat Kohli fell for just seven runs in the second over, caught by Prasidh Krishna off Arshad Khan’s bowling. Devdutt Padikkal followed soon after, bowled by Mohammed Siraj for just four runs. Phil Salt, who had looked promising, was also dismissed after scoring 14 runs. With three wickets down inside five overs, RCB found themselves in a precarious position.

Captain Rajat Patidar attempted to stabilize the innings but could only manage 12 runs before being trapped leg-before by Ishant Sharma. At 42/4 in the seventh over, RCB needed a recovery. Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma formed a crucial partnership, adding 52 runs for the fifth wicket. Livingstone was the standout performer for RCB, scoring a well-crafted 54 off 40 balls, including five sixes and one four. Jitesh Sharma contributed 33 runs off 21 deliveries, hitting five fours and one six at a strike rate of 157.14.

Tim David provided a late flourish with a quickfire 32 off 18 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes. Despite these contributions, RCB could only manage 169/8 in their allotted 20 overs. The Gujarat Titans’ bowlers were disciplined, with Mohammed Siraj leading the attack.

He finished with figures of 3/19 in four overs, maintaining an excellent economy rate of 4.75. Sai Kishore also played a crucial role, taking 2/22 in his four-over spell. Prasidh Krishna and Ishant Sharma chipped in with one wicket each, ensuring RCB couldn’t set a daunting total.

GT’s Exceptional Start and Buttler’s Match Winning Knock

Gujarat Titans, in response, started their chase cautiously. Openers Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill provided a steady start, putting on 32 runs for the first wicket. Gill was the first to depart, scoring 14 off 14 balls before being caught by Livingstone off Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bowling. Sudharsan continued to play positively, scoring 49 off 36 balls with seven fours and one six, before falling to Josh Hazlewood in the 13th over.

The highlight of the chase was Jos Buttler’s explosive knock. The English wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 73 off just 39 balls, anchoring the innings with a brilliant display of power-hitting. His innings included five fours and six sixes, ensuring there was no pressure on GT in the latter half of the chase. Sherfane Rutherford provided the finishing touches with an unbeaten 30 off 18 balls, hitting one four and three sixes to seal the win comfortably.

RCB’s bowlers struggled to contain the GT batters. While Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood managed to pick up one wicket each, the rest of the bowling attack was ineffective. Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam, Krunal Pandya, and Liam Livingstone all failed to take wickets and conceded runs at an expensive rate. Hazlewood, in particular, was expensive, giving away 43 runs in just 3.5 overs.

Gujarat Titans chased down the target in 17.5 overs at a run rate of 9.53, winning the match with 13 balls to spare. This win saw them climb up the IPL points table, securing their second victory of the season. Mohammed Siraj was named the Player of the Match for his outstanding bowling performance.

What’s Happening in the Points Table?

The result also had significant implications for the IPL 2025 points table. With this victory, Gujarat Titans now have four points from three matches and sit fourth on the table with a net run rate of 0.807 and are looking good in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League 2025.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, despite the loss, remain in the top three with four points and a better net run rate of 1.149. Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals lead the table with two wins from two games each, holding net run rates of 1.485 and 1.320, respectively. Meanwhile, teams like Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad are struggling in the bottom half of the standings.

TCNI’s Magic Moment of the Game

Talking about the TCNI’s Magic Moment of the Game, the one has to go to the thrilling mini-battle between Mohammed Siraj and Phil Salt in the fifth over. It was a two-ball sequence, the one moment of absolute dominance by the batter, followed by an amazing response from the bowler. In the fourth ball of the over, Siraj bent his back and delivered a short-pitched delivery at 143.6 km/h on a hard length, targeting middle and off. Salt, anticipating the short ball early, adjusted his stance and unleashed a monstrous pull shot. The timing and power behind the shot were amazing, launching the ball a staggering 105 meters over Cow Corner.

The crowd at Chinnaswamy erupted as the ball disappeared onto the stadium roof. However, Siraj’s response on the very next ball was nothing short of sensational. Instead of getting rattled by the six, he came back with a perfectly pitched delivery that started on middle and off before moving away slightly. Salt, still riding on the momentum of his previous shot, went for an aggressive heave but completely misread the movement. His off stump was sent cartwheeling, silencing the home crowd.

TCNI’s Hero of the Day

The match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Gujarat Titans was surely an emotional match for the fans of RCB, who saw their star bowler Mohammed Siraj bowl against them in the Gujarat Titans jersey. Moreover, when Mohammed Siraj came to bowl, the TCNI’s Hero of the Day went to him, and it was when he took the wicket of Phil Salt, breaking a promising stand early in the innings. Siraj’s spell was a masterclass in disciplined fast bowling. He finished with exceptional figures of 4-0-19-3, maintaining an economy rate of just 4.75, which was the best among all bowlers in the match. His ability to strike at crucial moments disrupted RCB’s batting rhythm.

The first breakthrough came when he dismissed Phil Salt, who had been looking to accelerate the scoring. Shortly after, he removed Devdutt Padikkal for just 4, ensuring RCB had no momentum in the powerplay. However, his most significant scalp was Liam Livingstone, who was the top scorer for RCB with 54 runs. Just as Livingstone was eyeing a late flourish, Siraj’s well-directed delivery forced an error, and the dangerous batter had to depart. Beyond the wickets, Siraj’s accuracy was remarkable. Out of his 24 deliveries, 14 were dot balls, which built pressure on the batters. Conceding only one four and one six in his spell, he restricted RCB from capitalizing on scoring opportunities.