Virat Kohli was at his best when it mattered most as Royal Challengers Bengaluru played a near flawless game to defend their Indian Premier League crown by defeating Gujarat Titans by five wickets in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Kohli scored the fastest fifty of his IPL career – off just 25 balls – to help chase down the 156-run target with ease and clinch a second straight IPL title.
Rajat Patidar raised a few eyebrows by deciding to bowl first in the title match at the Narendra Modi Stadium with 90,000 fans in attendance.
But that decision proved to be spot on as Bengaluru’s bowlers made life miserable for Gujarat. Their first six batters got starts but never got any momentum in their innings due to the excellent control of Bengaluru’s new-ball attack and the slow nature of the pitch.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-29), Josh Hazlewood (2-37) and Rasikh Dar (3-27) applied the brakes as Gujarat meandered along at around six runs an over for a majority of the innings.
They were staring down the barrel at 99-5 in the 15th over before some late hits from Washington Sundar (50 from 37 balls) took the total to 155-8.
Left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya (1-23) put in another masterful performance in the title match to keep Gujarat under 160. In the IPL final last year against Punjab, Pandya had put in title winning spell of 2-17.
Gujarat’s best shot at the title was with their pace attack that had been in great form all season.
Bengaluru negated that threat in the first four overs as Kohli (75 not out) and Venkatesh Iyer (32 from 16 balls) smashed Kagiso Rabada and Mohammad Siraj to all parts of the ground.
Iyer, with an injured knee, took 18 runs from Rabada’s first over while Kohli collected 19 from his next as RCB raced to 55-0 after four overs.
Gujarat did take wickets in the power play, while spinner Rashid Khan took two in one over to have the title holders in a spot of bother at 91-4 in the ninth over.
But Tim David (24 off 17 balls) took the pressure off and allowed Kohli to play his natural game. The veteran batter reached his fifty in 25 balls.
There was late drama as Kohli was caught in the 16th over with 11 runs needed and five wickets in hand, only for the third umpire to declare the ball to have touched the grass as the fielder completed the catch.
Kohli finished the match with a four and a six off Arshad Khan to remain unbeaten on 75 from 42 balls as Bengaluru chased down the target with two overs to spare.
After the win, Kohli said they team had complete faith in their chances having notched their first title last year.
“It doesn't feel like the same pressure as last year. We knew what kind of ability we have in the group,” Kohli said after the win.
“We topped the table. There's a reason why we got here first. And we just said one thing. If we stick to our cricket, if we execute our plans, we are the best team in the competition.”
