Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 30 (ANI): Virat Kohli found himself back in the runs as the batter smashed a half-century to guide Royal Challengers Bangalore to a modest score of 170/6 in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 match against Gujarat Titans on Saturday.
Former RCB captain Kohli played a gritty knock of 58 for his first half-century of IPL 2022. He was well accompanied by Rajat Patidar who played a good hand of 52 at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Pradeep Sangwan scalped two wickets for Gujarat Titans while Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson and Rashid Khan bagged a wicket apiece.
Choosing to bat first, RCB enjoyed a decent start as their total read 43 with the loss of one wicket after the first six overs in the innings. Virat Kohli smashed two back-to-back boundaries off Mohammed Shami in the first over to kick start things for his team.
In the second over, Pradeep Sangwan removed RCB skipper Faf Du Plessis for a four-ball duck. The ball nipped outside as Faf Du Plessis attempted a push. The outside edge from the bat then carried the ball to the wicket-keeper.
Rajat Patidar then joined Kohli on the crease and the duo started clocking runs for RCB in the middle overs. At the halfway mark in the innings, RCB’s score read 75/1. The duo started shifting the gears as they gathered 36 runs in total in the 9th, 10th and 11th over combined. The partnership reached the 50-run mark in the 11th over.
In the 13th over, Kohli reached fifty runs after 14 IPL matches. The stylish right-hand batter got to his first fifty of IPL 2022 in 45 balls. In the very next over, Rajat Patidar also brought up his half-century.
Patidar wasn’t able to last long after his fifty as Pradeep Sangwan got better of RCB batter in the 15th over. The new batter on the crease Glenn Maxwell smashed a six before Shami sent Kohli back in the hut in the 17th over.
The wickets kept falling for RCB in the death overs as Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell were next to go in the 18th and 19th over respectively. The Aussie all-rounder Maxwell played a quick cameo of 33.
The last over yielded 15 runs for RCB. Alzarri Joseph removed Mahipal Lomror on the last ball of the innings as RCB finished 170/6.
Royal Challengers Bangalore 170/6 (Virat Kohli 58, Rajat Patidar 52; Pradeep Sangwan 2-19) vs Gujarat Titans. (ANI)