The Royal Challengers Bengaluru had a great start to the IPL 2025 season, but that came to a sudden stop on Wednesday night. They faced off against the Gujarat Titans at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, and it didn’t go well for RCB. After winning their first two matches, they stumbled in front of their home crowd and ended up losing by eight wickets. Because of this loss, they dropped from the top spot to third place on the points table.
One of the biggest moments in the game came when Virat Kohli, who’s known for his amazing batting skills, hurt his finger while trying to stop a boundary. It happened while the Titans were chasing down a target of 170 runs. Sai Sudharsan, the opener for GT, swept a delivery from Krunal Pandya, and when the ball bounced in front of Kohli, he fumbled it. Unfortunately, it hit his index finger, and the ball rolled past him for four runs. Kohli was clearly in pain, and the team’s physio quickly came over to take a look. Even though he returned to play, he seemed to be struggling a bit.
Kohli’s batting performance wasn’t great either, as he only managed to score seven runs before getting out. When the Titans won the toss and decided to put RCB in to bat first, it set the tone for the match. RCB’s top four batsmen really didn’t perform well, especially with Mohammed Siraj bowling impressively against his former team. Siraj took down both Phil Salt and Devdutt Padikkal early on during the Powerplay, leaving RCB in a bit of a jam at 104 for 6 at one point.
Thankfully, Liam Livingstone and Tim David stepped up for RCB. Livingstone scored a solid 54 runs off 40 balls, while David chipped in with a quickfire 32 runs from just 18 balls, helping RCB post a total of 169 runs for 8 wickets after their 20 overs. But this target didn’t pose much of a challenge for the strong batting lineup of the Titans. They chased it down with ease in just 17.5 overs, marking their second win out of three games this season.
In terms of individual performances for GT, Jos Buttler shined with an impressive 73 runs off only 39 balls. Sai Sudharsan also contributed nicely with 49 runs off 36 balls, and Sherfane Rutherford wrapped things up with 30 not out off 18 balls. Now, RCB is looking ahead to their next match against the Mumbai Indians this coming Monday, while the Gujarat Titans gear up to face the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. Both teams will be hoping to build on their recent performances as the league heats up.
