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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) suffered a heartbreaking six-wicket defeat to Gujarat Titans (GT) at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in the final league match of the ongoing IPL 2023 on Sunday, May 21.
In the crucial encounter, Gujarat chased down Bangalore's 198-run target in the final. Following the loss, RCB have been knocked out of the race for the playoffs.
The Faf du Plessis-led side managed seven wins and as many losses this season, finishing sixth on the points table. GT's victory ensured that MI remained fourth in the standings, thus making the cut for an all-important playoffs.
Gujarat finished as the table-toppers, while Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are stationed in second place. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) occupy the third place and the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai side secured the fourth position.
It is worth mentioning that Bangalore would have qualified had they managed to eke out a win over Gujarat. In that case, Mumbai would have been eliminated. Earlier in the day, Rohit Sharma and Co. chased down a 201-run target against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to stay in the hunt.
Virat Kohli's century in vain as Shubman Gill knocks out RCB
Hardik Pandya won the toss for GT and elected to field first. Virat Kohli was the lone warrior for RCB, slamming a scintillating century. The star batter remained unbeaten on 101 off 61 balls.
Faf du Plessis, Michael Bracewell and Anuj Rawat did chip in with valuable cameos as Bangalore finished on 197/5 after 20 overs.
Bangalore were off to an impressive start with the ball, removing Gujarat opener Wriddhiman Saha early. However, Shubman Gill and Vijay Shankar's 123-run partnership for the second wicket helped GT to end the league stage with a convincing victory.
Gill completed a sensational century, delivering a 104*-run knock off 52 deliveries to seal the game for the defending champions. Shankar also impressed many with his batting exploits, mustering 53 runs off 35 balls.
