Bengaluru, May 27: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru stormed into the final of the Indian Premier League for the second consecutive season after registering a dominant 92-run victory over Gujarat Titans in the first qualifier on Tuesday night.
Chasing a massive target of 255 runs, Gujarat were bowled out for 162 runs in 19.3 overs. Despite a fighting half-century from Rahul Tewatia, Gujarat failed to keep up with the required run rate as the rest of the batting lineup struggled to make an impact.
Tewatia scored 68 runs off 43 balls, smashing eight fours and four sixes, while Jos Buttler contributed 29 runs and Sai Sudharsan added 14. No other Gujarat batter managed to reach double figures.
For Bengaluru, Jacob Duffy led the bowling attack with three wickets. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam and Krunal Pandya claimed two wickets each, while Josh Hazlewood picked up one wicket.
Earlier, after being put in to bat at Dharamshala, Bengaluru posted a huge total of 254/5 in their 20 overs. Captain Rajat Patidar played a sensational unbeaten knock of 93 runs from just 33 balls, hammering nine sixes and five boundaries.
Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya scored 43 runs each, while Devdutt Padikkal made 30, Venkatesh Iyer added 19 and Jitesh Sharma remained unbeaten on 15.
For Gujarat, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder took two wickets each, while Prasidh Krishna claimed one.
With the win, Bengaluru advanced directly to the final, while Gujarat will get another opportunity to qualify. They will now face the winner of the eliminator between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second qualifier for a place in the final.
