Will Jacks smashed an unbeaten ton off just 41 balls to help the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a nine-wicket victory over the Gujarat Titans. (As It Happened | Scorecard)
Sai Sudharsan's unbeaten 84 off 49 led the way for Gujarat in setting the Titans up for a solid total of 200/3, but Jacks' heroics powered the Royal Challengers to completing their chase with four overs to spare.
After the Titans won the toss and elected to bat, Wriddhiman Saha was removed in the first over with just six runs on the board as Gujarat's innings got off to a poor start.
Captain Shubman Gill somewhat steadied the ship with 16 off 19 before his dismissal at 45/2. That brought in Shahrukh Khan, and he and Sudharsan combined to help their team set a competitive target of 201, aided by an important 29-run innings from David Miller.
But Bangalore's run chase got off to a flyer, accumulating 40 runs before opener Faf du Plessis was dismissed in the fourth over.
In came Jacks, and though he took a little time to get his footing with 17 runs from his first 17 balls, the England all-rounder and Virat Kohli took over the game from the sixth over, when the pair combined for 15 runs before an 11-run seventh further boosted their chances of victory.
Jacks and Kohli edged their team towards the target before the former sealed the victory in remarkable fashion, hitting seven sixes and three fours for consecutive 29-run overs in the 15th and 16th, including a six to clinch the win with four overs remaining.
Data Debrief
It could have been a tricky run chase for a team languishing at the foot of the Indian Premier League table, but Jacks' incredible show with the bat ensured the Royal Challengers cruised to victory as he scored 83 off his last 24 balls.
Jacks hit 15 boundaries in total, 10 of which came in the final two overs of the game, enough to earn him Player of the Match honours and lead his team to the win.
