Match overview
Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Gujarat Titans by 4 wickets at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, on 4 May 2024. Gujarat Titans were bowled out for 147, a total that sat nearly 50 runs below the venue's average first-innings score of 196 across 142 matches. Mohammed Siraj earned the Player of the Match award for his bowling performance. RCB knocked off the target, finishing on 152 for 6, though they lost a clutch of wickets through the middle overs after a blistering powerplay start.
RCB won the toss and chose to field, in keeping with the ground's trend. Seventy-six per cent of captains at Chinnaswamy opt to bowl first after winning the toss, and the logic was validated almost immediately. Gujarat Titans were reduced to 23 for 3 inside six overs, a powerplay collapse from which they never managed to build a genuinely threatening total. The middle overs produced 79 runs for 2 wickets, steadying the innings to a degree, but a late flurry at the death added just 45 runs for 5 wickets, leaving 147 as the final tally.
RCB's response was extraordinary in the powerplay. They scored 92 runs for the loss of 1 wicket in the first six overs, setting up a chase that was functionally over before half the innings had been bowled. The middle phase tightened, with RCB losing 5 wickets for 60 runs between overs 7 and 20, but the required rate was never steep enough for those wobbles to seriously matter. They crossed the line at 152 for 6.
Venue and conditions
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is one of the highest-scoring T20 venues in India. Across 142 IPL matches here, the average first-innings score is 196 and the average second-innings score is 177. Short square boundaries and generally good batting surfaces mean big totals are the norm. Gujarat Titans' 147 was well below what this ground typically produces.
The powerplay sets the match up at Chinnaswamy more than at most venues. The average powerplay score here is 43 runs, so RCB's 92 in those first six overs was roughly double what the ground expects. Teams that dominate the powerplay tend to dictate the rest of the innings. The death overs average 40 runs, meaning batting sides can expect a strong finish if they have wickets in hand, though Gujarat Titans' 5 wickets for 45 in that phase showed they did not.
The ground's chase success rate of 55 per cent is a small but consistent edge for teams batting second. The combination of dew in evening matches and the knowledge of a fixed target tends to favour chasers, and RCB's toss decision to field reflected exactly that thinking.
How to watch
IPL matches are available in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Cricket, with live coverage across the tournament schedule. Subscribers can stream via Sky Go, and matches are also available to non-subscribers through a NOW TV day or month pass. Check Sky's schedule for confirmed UK broadcast times, which for evening matches in India typically means a UK kickoff around 15:00 BST.
Recent form
Going into this fixture, Gujarat Titans had won two and lost three of their previous five IPL matches in 2024, with defeats against Delhi Capitals (twice) and Royal Challengers Bangalore bookending a win over Punjab Kings. The back-to-back losses to Delhi had raised questions about their consistency, and another early-wickets collapse here suggested those concerns were not going away quickly.
RCB arrived in better shape in their most recent outings, having beaten Sunrisers Hyderabad before this fixture to follow up their earlier win over Gujarat Titans. They had lost three on the spin before that against Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Mumbai Indians, so this result came at a useful moment. Two wins from their last two matches heading into the second half of the group stage gave RCB some momentum at a ground where they are always difficult to beat.
