IPL 2025: Gujarat Titans outplay Royal Challengers Bengaluru by eight wickets

Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 73 capped Gujarat Titans’ commanding victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru, ending RCB’s two-match winning streak in IPL 2025 on Wednesday.

From the toss onward, nothing went right for Bengaluru in their first home game as they struggled to an underwhelming 169/8 in 20 overs. Titans, in contrast, were never troubled in the chase. Opener Sai Sudharsan set the platform with an aggressive 49 before former England skipper Buttler took over, dismantling the Bengaluru attack with surgical precision.

Buttler stitched an unbroken 63-run stand with Sherfane Rutherford (30*), sealing an eight-wicket win with two overs to spare.

The low total left Bengaluru’s bowlers with little to defend. The result lifted Gujarat to fourth place, just behind RCB, with all four top teams level on points.

Earlier, Gujarat pacer Mohammed Siraj tormented his former team with a fiery spell, claiming 3/19 in four overs. He struck early to remove Phil Salt and Devdutt Padikkal, while Arshad Khan provided the initial breakthrough by dismissing Virat Kohli.

Reduced to 35/3 in the powerplay, RCB relied on Jitesh Sharma’s counter-attack before Liam Livingstone and Tim David added 46 runs in the death overs to post a fighting total. Left-arm spinner Sai Kishore chipped in with 2/22. However, Gujarat’s dominance could have been even greater had they not dropped four catches, allowing RCB to escape further trouble.

RCB’s lack of bowling depth has been exposed by Gujarat Titans. Once the pacers were negotiated, the absence of a quality spinner allowed Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler to accelerate and take control of the chase.

Josh Hazlewood finally broke the partnership when Sudharsan’s attempted lap shot went wrong, dismissing him for a well-made 49. But Buttler continued untroubled, bringing up his half-century with a six.

After 15 overs, Gujarat are 134/2, needing just 36 off 30 balls to seal the win.

Gujarat Titans are making steady progress towards the modest target despite losing skipper Shubman Gill early. Opener Sai Sudharsan is anchoring the chase with a blend of caution and aggression. After six overs, the visitors are 42/1, leaving RCB in desperate need of wickets to stay in the contest.

Liam Livingstone’s half-century and four dropped catches helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru claw back from the brink to post a defendable total in their first home game of the season on Tuesday.

Reduced to 104/6 in the 15th over, RCB staged a late fightback, adding 65 runs off the final 32 balls to give themselves a chance to maintain their winning momentum. Livingstone capitalised on the reprieves to smash 54, while Tim David provided the finishing touches with a quickfire 32 off 18 balls before falling on the last delivery, handing Prasidh Krishna his first wicket.

Earlier, Jitesh Sharma (33) broke the shackles after Gujarat’s bowlers—Mohammed Siraj (3/19) and Sai Kishore (2/22)—kept denting the hosts with regular breakthroughs. Put in to bat, Bengaluru never found their rhythm and struggled against all the bowlers except Rashid Khan, who went wicketless while conceding 54 runs in four overs.

The fresh pitch has good bounce and holds up slightly when bowlers take pace off. Bengaluru’s bowlers will look to replicate Gujarat’s disciplined approach as they defend the target. For Gujarat, skipper Shubman Gill and opener Sai Sudharsan will be key in the chase.

Gujarat pacer Mohammed Siraj was fired up against his former team and delivered a statement performance. He removed Phil Salt and Devdutt Padikkal with precision, deepening RCB’s woes after Arshad Khan had already sent back King Kohli in the second over. The hosts struggled to recover from the early blows, with only a counter-attack from Jitesh Sharma (33 off 21 balls) providing some respite.

After 14 overs, RCB are 103 for five—far from the start they would have wanted. Liam Livingstone, who was dropped early, is on 23 alongside Krunal Pandya.

Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill wins toss, elects to bowl first on a good pitch

"They are not changing much, so we decided to chase," the Gujarat captain said at the toss. "We are a team focused on reducing unforced errors across all departments of the game."

Gujarat have made one change, bringing in Arshad Khan for Kagiso Rabada, who is unavailable due to personal reasons.

For RCB's Rajat Patidar and company, the blueprint remains the same as their dominant win over Chennai—pile on the runs and put the opposition under pressure.

"It’s a fresh pitch, and the surface is hard. We want to put up a good total on the board," the RCB skipper said. "The way everyone is stepping up at crucial moments is a big confidence booster, and the team is in a great frame of mind."

RCB have stuck with their winning combination for this clash.

Teams:

Gujarat Titans XI

Shubman Gill (captain), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma. Impact players: Sherfane Rutherford, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (captain), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal. Impact players: Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh.