Bengaluru, April 2 (NationPress) Jos Buttler's remarkable experience shone through as he scored an unbeaten 73 off just 39 deliveries, leading the Gujarat Titans to a commanding eight-wicket victory against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.

Following Liam Livingstone's impressive 54 runs off 40 balls, along with contributions from Jitesh Sharma and Tim David who scored 33 and 32 respectively, RCB managed to post a total of 169/8. Buttler, however, expertly read the playing conditions and targeted the bowlers effectively, hitting five fours and six sixes during his unbeaten innings.

He formed significant partnerships of 75 and 63 runs with B. Sai Sudharsan and Sherfane Rutherford, who scored 49 and 30 not out respectively, as GT maintained control throughout the chase, completing it with 13 balls remaining.

In pursuit of 170 runs, Shubman Gill and Sudharsan struggled initially, with Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar restricting their scoring opportunities, resulting in just 15 runs from the first three overs. Sudharsan broke the shackles with a scoop and a straight drive off Hazlewood for six and four respectively.

Gill managed to hit Bhuvneshwar for a six over long-on, but the seasoned bowler had the last laugh when Gill's attempt for another maximum resulted in an edge caught by deep third man. After GT concluded the power-play at 42/1, Sudharsan and Buttler found the boundaries off impact player Rasikh Salam.

Sudharsan's cut off Yash Dayal brought in a four, while Buttler's powerful shots yielded four and two sixes in an 18-run ninth over. The runs kept flowing for GT, with Sudharsan pulling Krunal Pandya for four, while Buttler skillfully cut between backward point and short third-man for another boundary.

In dire need of a breakthrough, RCB reintroduced Hazlewood, who managed to dismiss Sudharsan with a short ball, leading to a glove edge caught by Jitesh. Impact player Sherfane Rutherford quickly got into the groove by hitting Hazlewood for four and then launching a six off Krunal.

Buttler effectively quashed any hopes of an RCB comeback by lofting a shot over Liam Livingstone's head for four, before smashing a six over long-on to reach his fifty in just 31 balls. Following that, Buttler and Rutherford continued their boundary onslaught, with Rutherford hitting the winning six off Hazlewood, ensuring GT's second win of the season.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 169/8 in 20 overs (Liam Livingstone 54, Jitesh Sharma 33; Mohammed Siraj 3-19, R Sai Kishore 2-22) lost to Gujarat Titans 170/2 in 17.5 overs (Jos Buttler 73 not out, B. Sai Sudharsan 49, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1-23, Josh Hazlewood 1-43) by eight wickets