RCB fans, your team’s perfect start to the IPL 2025 season hit a speed bump when Gujarat Titans came to town and handed them their first loss. After two straight wins, RCB were cruising—until Gujarat hit back hard. In a game full of highs and lows, Jos Buttler and Mohd Siraj were the standout stars, inflicting pain on RCB’s invincible run.
RCB’s batting innings got off to a disastrous start, and by 42/4 inside 7 overs, they were already chasing shadows. Mohd Siraj, who clearly had something to prove against his former team, stepped up with 3/19. He was on fire, getting key wickets at crucial junctures. Siraj was awarded the Player of the Match, and his performance saw RCB scrape their way to a total of 169. And let’s face it: when you start that badly, you’re always fighting an uphill battle.
While Gujarat bowlers did their best, RCB’s batting did find some groove later on. Livingstone and Tim David combined for some heavy hitting, and it was Rashid Khan who took the most heat. Livingstone, along with Jitesh Sharma and David, contributed to Rashid’s nightmare—Rashid gave away 54 runs in his 4 overs, but it was Livingstone’s 5 sixes that made it hurt.
In response, Gujarat started cautiously with Shubman Gill getting out early. At 33/1 after 5 overs, the game was still in the balance. But Sai Sudharsan played a patient knock, scoring 49, while the real firecracker was Jos Buttler. The England star smashed 73 off 39 balls, looking every bit the player who can take games away in a blink. His blistering knock, paired with Rutherford's late cameo of 30 off 18, meant Gujarat were home with 8 wickets in hand and 13 balls to spare—their 2nd biggest win in terms of wickets remaining.
This win pushed Gujarat to 4th on the points table, while RCB now has to bounce back from their first loss of the season. It wasn’t a terrible performance by RCB, but they were definitely outplayed by a Gujarat side that seems ready to make waves in IPL 2025.
