IPL: Virat, AB tons set up RCB’s 144-run thrashing of Gujarat Lions

Gujarat Lions’ stand-in captain Brendon McCullum won the toss and opted to bowl first in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Gujarat Lions’ stand-in captain Brendon McCullum won the toss and opted to bowl first in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Gujarat Lions Brendon McCullum plays a shot during the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Lions at the Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in Kolkata on May 8, 2016. (AFP)

McCullum, filling in for Suresh Raina, who will miss his first ever IPL match after flying out to the Netherlands to be with his wife for the birth of their child, said the pitch looked outstanding and if they did things right at the start, they could chase anything.

McCullum’s Royal Challengers counterpart Virat Kohli said his side need to win four in a row to stay in contention for the playoffs, and would take it one game at a time.

Teams

Royal Challengers Bangalore

C Gayle, L Rahul, V Kohli, AB de Villiers, S Watson, S Baby, S Binny, C Jordan, S Aravind, V Aaron, Y Chahal

GL XI: DR Smith, B McCullum, E Dwivedi , D Karthik, A Finch, DJ Bravo, R Jadeja, P Kumar, D Kulkarni, S Kaushik, P Tambe