Rajasthan thrash RCB by 7 wickets, to face Gujarat Titans in IPL final

Ahmedabad: A clinical bowling performance followed by a convincing batting effort helped Rajasthan Royals thrash Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets in the Qualifier 2 and reach the final of the IPL 2022 at Narendra Modi Stadium, here on Friday.

Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan will now face Hardik Pandya's Gujarat Titans in the final at the same stadium in front of a huge crowd on Sunday.

Excellent bowling performance by Prasidh Krishna (3/22) and Obed McCoy (3/23) helped Rajasthan Royals restrict Royal Challengers Bangalore to 157/8 despite a fighting fifty by Rajat Patidar (58 off 42) in 20 overs after winning the toss and opting to bowl first.

Apart from Prasidh and McCoy, Trent Boult (1/28), Ravichandran Ashwin (1/31) also chipped in with one each for Rajasthan while the likes of Faf du Plessis (25 off 25) and Glenn Maxwell (24 off 13) were the only main contributors with the bat for RCB besides Patidar.

Chasing a modest target, Jos Buttler smashed a superb unbeaten century (106 not out off 60) and led Rajasthan Royals to a convincing 7-wicket win over RCB in 18.1 overs. Apart from Buttler, the likes of Sanju Samson (23 off 21) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (21 off 13) also made vital contributions with the bat for RR.

Josh Hazlewood (2/23) was the most successful bowler for RCB while Wanindu Hasaranga (1/26) also picked one wicket.

Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 157/8 in 20 Overs (Rajat Patidar 58, Faf du Plessis 25; Prasidh Krishna 3/22, Obed McCoy 3/23) lost to Rajasthan Royals 161/3 in 18.1 overs (Jos Buttler 106 not out, Yashasvi Jaiswal 21; Josh Hazlewood 2/23). 

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