IPL 2024: Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis star as Royal Challengers Bengaluru tame Gujarat Titans

Bowlers, Du Plessis fire as RCB stay alive with a thumping win
BENGALURU: When the chips are down, it's never easy showing up, rising to the occasion and performing. But it's nothing new for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League.
With their chances of making the playoffs boiling down to mathematics, they came into their home game against Gujarat Titans with the numbers game worked out.At the M Chinnaswamy stadium, first the bowlers led by Mohammed Siraj (2/29) delivered and then Faf du Plessis (63, 23b, 10x4; 3x6) led from the front.
Although the home side stuttered after a blazing start, the foundation laid by their skipper did not go in vain as RCB registered a four-wicket win with 38 balls to spare, thus lifting themselves up from the bottom of the table to the seventh spot. Chasing a below-par 148 for victory, RCB finished with 152/6 in 13.4 overs for their second consecutive win over Gujarat and their third victory on the go.
RCB registered their best-ever powerplay score 91/1 with Virat Kohli starting the proceedings with two maximums of Mohit Sharma's bowling. Du Plessis then took on Josh Little (4/45) with a 20-run second over. By the fifth over Du Plessis had reached an 18-ball 50.

But the story of the day was RCB's bowling. Last Sunday, RCB's mainstay pacer Siraj uprooted Gujarat's big hitting Shahrukh Khan's stumps with a peach of a reverse swinging delivery. In hindsight, it probably was the beginning of an upswing in Siraj's performance.
On the night, Siraj was all fire and brimstone as he led the home team bowlers' fine show. Shubman Gill and his men, who were seemingly on a suicide mission, were bowled out for a below-par 147 in 19.3 overs.
In nine matches before this, Siraj had conceded 323 runs in 34 overs while claiming six wickets. The T20 World Cup call-up seems to have added that extra zing in Siraj's approach. If one were to discount the three wides the 30-year-old bowled, his rhythm and lengths were spot-on.
It wasn't just Siraj. Barring spinner Karn Sharma, who went for some runs, most of the other bowlers kept it tight, pacers Yash Dayal (2/21) and Vyshak Vijaykumar (2/23), in particular.
Gujarat's woeful run in Powerplay continued as they managed just 23/3 with their misfiring top order back in the dugout. Out-of-form Wriddhiman Saha dug himself into a deeper hole, contributing a laboured single off seven balls.