IPL Pulse: Hold, Holder, Holdest

Bienvenidos to the final month of the IPL.

The points table is in two factions: top four untouched, bottom five still piecing it together. Gujarat Titans are the bridge in between, the above-average kid in class with that ever-so-nagging habit of making toppers sweat.

Missed the action last night? Absolutely fine. Pore through the Cricbuzz Pulse, where we'll give you a snappy summary of how GT dismantled a rare off-coloured RCB.

Last night in five lines

Kohli took off like a Concorde, but was nipped before he could go supersonic

RCB's middle-order walked in and out, falling tamely on a pitch with no demons

Holder held on to (nearly *wink*) everything, combining with Arshad to fold them for 155

Gill came out all guns blazing, leaving RCB to play catch-up

Bhuvi's dents weren't enough to cause any late twists

Oh, that happened

A controversial IPL catch, about time. Rajat Patidar's aerial hit was well intercepted, but did Holder hold on to it just fine? The umpires felt he was in control. But many did not. The result was several tweets, all hyper-analysing the palm, and zooming in on the part the ball grazes the ground. A gesticulating Kohli, shocked at the decision, made for good television.

Pulse Awards

Jason Holder wins the jersey-derby over Virat Kohli. In a battle of No.18s, Boulder Holder edged out the King.

Virat Kohli steals the fireball award for his untempered, unflinching aggressive self. He yelled and flung the ball after snaffling Gill, combusted on the sidelines over the Holder catch, and relived his Test days with his air-punching and hip-thrusting celebrations. Never change.

The tit-for-tat award goes to Gill for avenging Kohli's onslaught on Rabada. Those were five fours in a row. Gill hit back with 24 runs off one Hazlewood over.

The where-you-at award goes to Krunal Pandya's bowling arm for being curiously absent from Motera. Was it an injury concern? Possibly. Did it hurt RCB? Potentially.

The ragebait-final-boss award goes to Gill, again, for his cheeky social media shenanigans. First, a yellow whistle, now a play on Play Bold. This batter loves a bit of banter after winning at a canter. The days of thirst traps are over.

Talking point

Jason Holder, all of 6'7, brought a quiet, big brother energy to the GT lineup, taking them through with his layered brilliance. No slam-bang batting, no fiery, edge-of-the-seat bowling. Just old-fashioned all-round stuff with three catches to boot. It's essentially what GT have been missing since Hardik Pandya departed. No more benchwarming for the Barbadian, please.

What they said

Holder is all about being flexible: "I just have an open mind. I'm not sure sometimes exactly what scenario that I could be posed with, but for me, it's just being switched on and being able to adapt and execute."

Buttler called Gill's onslaught on Hazlewood "absolutely phenomenal". He lauded his captain for "calmly and clinically" taking down a "top, top bowler" which broke the back of the chase early.

Patidar found positivity in the loss, praising the way the bowlers stretched the chase to the 16th over, but admitted the flurry of middle-order wickets put them on the backfoot.

Stat snack

Ahmedabad came pouring in to watch this one. A record 90,865 showed up: for reference, the attendance at the last three GT home games was 40,625, 34,211 and 44,551.

What's the latest gossip?

The vaping episode has officially been closed for the time being, but the aftereffects are still lingering. The BCCI did say that they were exploring other options to initiate proceedings against the erring team, so keep exploring this space for more.

Tonight's watchlist

Delhi Capitals are in a mire and need a quick fix after a hat-trick of losses. Watch them take on fourth-placed Rajasthan Royals. And yes, the big bird from Sydney is finally here. Expect DC to unleash Mitchell Starc tonight.

Reckless prediction for tonight's match

The cameras zoom into the dressing room again, only to catch a 15-year-old watching cartoons on the TV.