Jacks unleashes batting barrage and Kohli hits 70 as Bengaluru beats Gujarat by 9 wickets in IPL

AHMEDABAD, India — Will Jacks unleashed a batting barrage and shared an unbroken 166-run partnership with Virat Kohli as Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Gujarat Titans by nine wickets in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.

In the late game, skipper Rituraj Gaikwad smacked 98 runs off 54 balls to lead Chennai Super Kings to a 78-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Jacks scored his first IPL hundred off 41 balls, finishing 100 not out, which included 10 sixes as Bengaluru chased down Gujarat’s 200-3 in 20 overs with 24 balls to spare at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Kohli scored 70 not out off 44 balls at the other end as Bengaluru passed the victory target to reach 206-1 in 16 overs.

Chasing another high total to mathematically stay in contention for a knockout spot, 10th-place Bengaluru made a good start. Kohli and opening partner Faf du Plessis (24) put on 40 off 23 balls.

Du Plessis holed out in the fourth over, marking the last wicket the Titans’ attack would manage on the day.

Jacks started off slowly, allowing Kohli to take charge as he raced to 50 off 32 balls. It was the star batter’s fourth half-century in the IPL this year and he also crossed the 500-run mark for this season.

Kohli scored 20 more off the next 12 balls he faced, but he was a spectator at the non-striker’s end for much of this period.

Jacks took charge, smacking Mohit Sharma for 29 runs in the 15th over. He raced to 50 off 31 balls, and then accelerated further. The next 50 came off only 10 balls, a span that included six sixes and two fours.

Jacks smashed 29 runs off Rashid Khan’s 16th over to bring a very early end to the proceedings.

Bengaluru had needed 53 off 36 balls and managed to get there from just 12.

Earlier, Sai Sudharsan’s 84 not out off 49 balls had rescued the hosts from 45-2.

Openers Wriddhiman Saha (5) and Shubman Gill (16) fell cheaply, leaving the Titans stranded.

Sudharsan then managed an 86-run stand off 45 balls for the third wicket with Shahrukh Khan.

Khan hit five sixes in his 58 off 30 balls for his first IPL half-century. Scoring 50 off 34 balls, Sudharsan then added another 69 off the last six overs with David Miller (26 not out).

Gujarat Titans stay seventh after 10 games with only four wins. Bengaluru has three wins from 10 games.

CHENNAI WINS

In the second game, medium pacer Tushar Deshpande picked up 4-27 in three overs as Hyderabad was bowled out for 134 runs in 18.5 overs in pursuit of Chennai’s imposing 212-3.

Gaikwad followed up his century in the previous game with another big score. He hit 10 fours and three sixes and anchored his side to a 200-plus total again.

Daryl Mitchell found form to score 52 off 32 balls, adding 107 off 64 with Gaikwad.

Hard-hitting Shivam Dube provided the finishing touch with a brisk 39 not out.

Despite dewy conditions, Hyderabad’s batting lineup crashed for a second time running when faced with a 200-plus target.

Travis Head was out for 13 and Abhishek Sharma dismissed for 15. Both fell to Deshpande, who also had impact player Anmolpreet Singh caught for a golden duck.

Hyderabad was down to 40-3 in 3.5 overs and never recovered from the early blows.

Aiden Markram was the top-scorer with a 26-ball 32. Heinrich Klaasen could only manage 20 off 21 balls.

Pacers Mustafizur Rahman (2-19) and Matheesha Pathirana (2-17) added to the damage.

Chennai returned to winning ways after losing its last two games and is back in the top four with 10 points from nine games. It trails second-place Kolkata Knight Riders on net run-rate.

It was the Sunrisers’ second consecutive loss and it moved down to fourth, ahead of Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals on run-rate with all three teams also on 10 points each.