Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Gujarat Titans to stay alive in IPL

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Royal Challengers Bengaluru kept alive their slim playoff hopes in the Indian Premier League with a four-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in a low-scoring thriller on Saturday.

Bengaluru pacers came to the party as Gujarat was put into bat and bowled out for 147 runs in 19.3 overs.

Bengaluru skipper Faf du Plessis then led the way with 64 off 23 balls, as the hosts finished with 152-6 in only 13.4 overs. Virat Kohli scored 42 runs in 27 balls and shared an opening partnership of 92 with du Plessis in 5.5 overs.

Bengaluru moved off the bottom of the table with its fourth win in 11 games, and is now seventh with eight points ahead of Punjab Kings on net run-rate. It is mathematically still in contention to advance.

Gujarat lost its third consecutive game and dropped to ninth in the 10-team table. It also has eight points and potentially can still make the playoffs.

Bengaluru chose to bowl on a lively pitch. It provided early dividends as Gujarat’s batting came apart early on.

Openers Wriddhiman Saha (1) and Shubman Gill (2) fell cheaply — Mohammed Siraj dismissed both in successive overs.

Cameron Green then got rid of in-form Sai Sudharsan (6) as Gujarat was down to 19-3 in 5.3 overs.

Shahrukh Khan scored 37 off 24 balls, and put on 61 off 37 with David Miller (30) for the fourth wicket to rescue the innings.

They were both dismissed within seven deliveries leaving the work undone as Gujarat reached 87-5.

Rahul Tewatia then guided the lower order with 35 off 21 balls, but the Titans finished with an under-par score.

Siraj took 2-29 in four overs, while fellow pacers Yash Dayal and Vijaykumar Vyashak took a brace each as well.

Chasing only 148, Bengaluru got off to a fiery start. Du Plessis was in the mood as he smashed 10 fours and three sixes, reaching 50 off only 18 balls.

Kohli hit a rapid 42. His strike rate has been questioned this season, but he had no issues on this day – smacking four sixes and scoring at 155.56.

Du Plessis fell against the run of play, and the chaos began for Bengaluru. While Kohli stayed at one end, wickets kept falling at the other.

Bengaluru went from 92-0 to 117-6 in the space of 29 balls, losing big-name batters. Will Jacks, who scored a century in the previous game against Gujarat, fell for one.

Impact player Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell and Green all departed without touching double digits. Ireland pacer Josh Little dismissed all three, along with du Plessis, to finish with 4-45 in four overs.

The worrying point for Bengaluru came when Kohli too was out caught in the 11th over, almost leaving Bengaluru stranded.

Dinesh Karthik (21 not out) and Swapnil Singh (15 not out) steadied the innings as the Royal Challengers registered a third consecutive win to keep alive its slender hopes.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's captain Faf du Plessis plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's captain Faf du Plessis hist a six during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Gujarat Titans' Rashid Khan is bowled out during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli gestures as he celebrates the runout of Gujarat Titans' Shahrukh Khan during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Gujarat Titans' Rashid Khan plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Royal Challengers Bangaluru players celebrates the dismissal of Gujarat Titans' Rahul Tewatia during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Vijaykumar Vyshak celebrates the dismissal of Gujarat Titans' Vijay Shankar during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Glenn Maxwell reacts after being dismissed by Gujarat Titans' Joshua Little during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Gujarat Titans' Shahrukh Khan take the catch of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's captain Faf du Plessis during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Gujarat Titans players celebrates the dismissal of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Rajat Patidar during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli congratulates captain Faf du Plessis on scoring 50 runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli walks off the field after losing his wicket during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

PEZINOK, Slovakia (AP) — Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico ’s condition was stable but serious Saturday as the man accused of trying to assassinate him faced his first court appearance.

Health Minister Zuzana Dolinkova said two-hour surgery Friday to remove dead tissue from multiple gunshot wounds “contributed to a positive prognosis” for Fico.

Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said his condition still makes it impossible to transport him to the capital, Bratislava.

The update on Fico’s condition came as the man accused of attempting to assassinate him made his first court appearance Saturday, Slovak state media said.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

PEZINOK, Slovakia (AP) — The man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made his first court appearance Saturday as the nation’s leader remained in serious condition recovering from surgery after surviving multiple gunshots, Slovak state media said.

Fico, 59, was attacked as he greeted supporters following a government meeting Wednesday in the former coal mining town of Handlova. The suspect was tackled to the ground and arrested.

Prosecutors are seeking an order from Slovakia’s Specialized Criminal Court to detain the suspect.

Prosecutors told police not to publicly identify the suspect or release other details about the case, but unconfirmed media reports said he was a 71-year-old retiree known as an amateur poet who may have once worked as a mall security guard in the country’s southwest.

Government authorities gave details that matched that description. They said the suspect didn’t belong to any political groups, though the attack itself was politically motivated.

The courthouse in Pezinok, a small town outside the capital, Bratislava, was guarded by officers wearing balaclavas and carrying rifles. News media were not allowed in the courthouse and reporters were kept behind a gate outside.

Police on Friday had taken the suspect to his home in the town of Levice and seized a computer and some documents, Markiza, a Slovak television station reported. Police didn’t comment.

Fico underwent another round of surgery Friday to remove dead tissue from his body, said Miriam Lapuníková, director of the University F. D. Roosevelt hospital in Banska Bystrica, where Fico was taken by helicopter after he was shot.

He also underwent a CT scan and was awake and stable in an intensive care unit. She described his condition as “very serious.”

World leaders have condemned the attack and offered support for Fico and Slovakia.

Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. His return to power last year on a pro-Russia, anti-American platform led to worries among fellow European Union and NATO members that he would abandon his country’s pro-Western course, particularly on Ukraine.

At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Slovakia was one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, but Fico halted arms deliveries to Ukraine when he returned to power, his fourth time serving as prime minister.

Fico’s government has also made efforts to overhaul public broadcasting — a move critics said would give the government full control of public television and radio. That, coupled with his plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor, have led opponents to worry that Fico will lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path.

Thousands of demonstrators have repeatedly rallied in the capital and around the country of 5.4 million to protest his policies.

Fico said last month on Facebook that he believed rising tensions in the country could lead to the killing of politicians, and he blamed the media for fueling tensions.

Before Fico returned to power last year, many of his political and business associates were the focus of police investigations, and dozens have been charged.

His plan to overhaul the penal system would eliminate the office of the special prosecutor that deals with organized crime, corruption and extremism.

Journalists gather as they wait for the suspect, in shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, to be brought to court in Pezinok, Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Officials in Slovakia say Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after his assassination attempt and remains in serious condition. (AP Photo/Tomas Benedikovic)

Policemen guard the area as they wait for the suspect, in shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, to be brought to court in Pezinok, Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Officials in Slovakia say Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after his assassination attempt and remains in serious condition. (AP Photo/Tomas Benedikovic)

Policemen guard the area as convoy brings the suspect, in shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, to court in Pezinok, Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Officials in Slovakia say Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after his assassination attempt and remains in serious condition. (AP Photo/Tomas Benedikovic)

FILE - Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks during a press conference with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Carmelite Monastery in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. A man charged with attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was escorted by police to his home on the morning of Friday, May 17, 2024, with media saying that it was part of a search for evidence. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos, File)

Policemen guard the area as convoy brings the suspect, in shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, to court in Pezinok, Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Officials in Slovakia say Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after his assassination attempt and remains in serious condition. (AP Photo/Tomas Benedikovic)