Two centurions, a few thousand heartbreaks, and innumerable messages of gratitude from one set of supporters to another – the league phase of IPL 2023 could not have ended in a more enthralling manner, as Gujarat Titans defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore to seal Mumbai Indians’ berth in the playoffs.
Chasing a target of 198 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Gujarat had an early setback as Mohammed Siraj dismissed Wriddhiman Saha in only the third over. However, making his comeback into the team at Sai Sudharsan’s expense, Vijay Shankar built a game-defining 123-run partnership for the second wicket, alongside Shubman Gill.
Having paced their knocks brilliantly, the pair accelerated only after getting their eyes in, with both scoring half-centuries. Shankar, however, departed in the very next ball after recording his third fifty of the season.
The next few overs saw Dasun Shanaka departing for a duck, and David Miller adding only six runs to his team’s cause, as Bangalore clawed their way back into the game.
Gill, however, emerged as the party-spoiler for those in Bengaluru, and the saviour for those in Mumbai, as his unbeaten 104-run knock eliminated Faf du Plessis’ team from the playoffs race.
Virat Kohli Creates New Record in a Night of Dejection
Earlier, Virat Kohli etched his name in the books of history for the umpteenth time – this time by becoming the batter with the most centuries in IPL history – as he single-handedly led Bangalore’s survival endeavour.
After being put to bat first, Bangalore posted a total of 197/5, of which, 101 runs were scored by their former skipper. With their fate depending on this match’s result, the hosts’ opening pair wasted no time in making their intentions evident. It was Faf du Plessis who got going first, taking the attack to an in-form Mohammed Shami, scoring four boundaries in the third over.
The next over saw Kohli replicating his skipper’s action, striking three boundaries off Yash Dayal’s bowling, as the hosts utilised the fielding restrictions to accumulate 62 runs in the powerplay.
The tides, however, changed soon, and rapidly. Faf du Plessis was the first Bangalore batter to fall, losing his wicket to Noor Ahmad in the eighth over, whilst seven deliveries later, another Afghan spinner in Rashid Khan breached Glenn Maxwell’s defence to dismantle the Aussie’s stumps, and subsequently, provide his team with the second breakthrough.
Mahipal Lomror’s struggle with the bat continued as the Southpaw could only score a solitary run before becoming Noor’s second victim, but another left-handed batter, this time a Kiwi in Michael Bracewell, came to the hosts’ rescue.
The all-rounder struck three boundaries off Mohit Sharma’s bowling in the next over, thereby alleviating some of the pressure Gujarat had recently exercised on them, whereas in the 13th over, Kohli struck his seventh half-century of the season, on the back of a century against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Bracewell did well in his cameo appearance of 16-ball 26, but Mohammed Shami’s re-introduction into the attack ensured that it stays at a cameo level. Dinesh Karthik did not trouble the scorers one bit, departing for a golden duck, with Anuj Rawat as his sixth partner, Kohli continued his solo act of unbridled determination.
Having matched Chris Gayle’s tally of six IPL centuries very recently, the 34-year-old brought up his seventh ton in the penultimate over, whilst in the last over, Rawat struck
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