Gill, Buttler guide Gujarat to comfortable win over Bengaluru

AFP | Ahmedabad

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India Sparkling cameos by skipper Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler complemented a stellar display with the ball and in the field, carrying Gujarat Titans to a four-wicket victory over defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru yesterday.

All seven previous matches in the IPL between the sides had been won by the chasing team and Gill therefore had little hesitation in asking Bengaluru to bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Virat Kohli smashed Kagiso Rabada for five fours in the second over of the match before succumbing to the same bowler not long thereafter as Bengaluru went from 79 for two to 155 all out.

Devdutt Padikkal top-scored with a fluent 40, while left-arm pacer Arshad Khan (3/22), Gujarat’s most successful bowler, received excellent support from Afghan Rashid Khan.

West Indian Jason Holder had headlined a flawless first half for Gujarat with three catches to go with the wickets of Jitesh Sharma and Romario Shepherd, triggering a middle-order collapse which compelled Bengaluru to summon Venkatesh Iyer as the impact substitute.

“It was one of those nights (when the ball kept following me),” player-of-the-match Holder said.

“The energy was quite high. I am just happy to hold on to the chances and happy to help the team win.”