IPL 2024: Jacks and Kohli lead RCB to comfortable win over GT

Will Jacks’s electrifying century off just 41 balls and Virat Kohli’s masterful unbeaten 70 propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to a dominant 9-wicket triumph over Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Sunday’s IPL 2024 clash. The game ended with four overs to spare in a spectacular display of batting prowess.

The match began with RCB’s captain Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli forging a quick 40-run partnership, setting the tone for the chase. Du Plessis’s aggressive 24 from 12 balls came to an end, but his dismissal brought Will Jacks to the crease, who continued the onslaught.

Kohli and Jacks were relentless, bringing up the team’s fifty in the powerplay. Kohli’s boundary off Rashid Khan in the 10th over and his single in the 11th over off Mohit Sharma brought up the team’s century. Jacks reached his fifty with a boundary in the 15th over and didn’t look back, blazing to his century in the 16th over off Rashid Khan.

Together, Kohli and Jacks notched an unbeaten 166-run partnership in just 74 balls, taking RCB to a commanding 206/1. Jacks’s innings included ten sixes and five fours, while Kohli contributed with six fours and three sixes.

On the bowling front, only Sai Kishore made significant inroads for GT, claiming the lone wicket for 30 runs from his three overs.

Earlier, GT, batting first, posted a competitive 200/3 thanks to solid contributions across the board. Sai Sudharsan was the standout, hammering 84 runs from 49 deliveries, while Shahrukh Khan added a quickfire 58 from 30 balls. Together, they helped stabilize GT after early losses, with Sudharsan and David Miller’s later partnership pushing the score to 200.

RCB’s bowling saw contributions from Maxwell, Siraj, and Swapnil Singh, each taking a wicket to keep the game within reach.

This thrilling match highlighted RCB’s batting depth and their capability to chase down hefty targets, setting the stage for more high-octane performances in IPL 2024.