RCB vs GT, IPL 2025 Highlights: All-round GT hand RCB first defeat of season, Siraj shines against former team

RCB vs GT: Mohammed Siraj shines against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. (IPL Photo)

Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by 8 wickets for their second victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 edition at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday. GT chased down the 170-run target with 13 balls to spare as RCB lost their first match at their home ground this season.

The defeat brought RCB to the third spot from their top position as GT maintained their fourth spot in the points table. In terms of wickets left, this is GT's second-largest victory while chasing, following their win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Jaipur in 2023 by 9 wickets with 37 balls to spare.

Here are the five moments that made the difference between victory and defeat:

The cheap dismissal of Virat Kohli:

Virat Kohli made a fine start to the tournament with a 59-run knock in the IPL opener against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and then scored 31 runs against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

The former RCB captain, however, failed to make a decent score in his first match of the IPL season at his home ground.

Kohli (7) got off the mark with a majestic cover drive off Mohammed Siraj but fell in the next over caught by Prasidh Krishna at deep backward square leg off Arshad Khan.

RCB vs GT

Mohammed Siraj’s three-wicket burst:

Mohammed Siraj played for RCB from 2018–2024 and the pacer was bought by GT for Rs 12.25 crore at the mega auction last year.

And Siraj justified his price tag by taking 3 wickets against his old team. The GT pace spearhead first clean bowled Devdutt Padikkal in his second over. In the fifth over of the match, Phil Salt hit Siraj for a six out of the stadium but the pacer rattled the stumps on the very next delivery to exact revenge.

Siraj also dismissed RCB top scorer Liam Livingstone (54) in the penultimate over of the innings just when the Englishman was looking to cut loose after scoring his half-century. Livingstone smashed 5 sixes and a four in his 40-ball knock.

Sai Sudharsan

The Sai show:

Sai Sudharsan gave the GT run chase a rollicking start with his captain Shubman Gill. Both the openers started cautiously in the powerplay looking to see off the new ball. But once they got going, RCB bowlers had no answers.

Sudharsan hit a six and 7 fours in his 36-ball 49 before falling to Josh Hazlewood. Sudharsan missed his third consecutive fifty by just 1 run.

Buttler’s finishing act:

After the India white-ball series and Champions Trophy debacles, former England captain Jos Buttler has taken to the IPL with a vengeance.

Today batting at No. 3, Buttler smashed an unbeaten 73 off 39 balls – a knock studded with 6 sixes and 5 fours. Buttler got to his 50 off 30 balls and reached there with a six.

Buttler looked to finish off the match quickly hitting Hazlewood for 2 successive sixes in the 18th over.

The impact of the impact sub:

Sherfane Rutherford came in as the impact sub for GT and Ishant Sharma went out. Rutherford, the burly left-handed West Indian, matched Buttler shot for shot and took the match away from RCB. Rutherford stayed unbeaten on 18-ball 30, hitting 1 four and 3 sixes, the last of which off Hazlewood brought victory for GT.