IPL 2026 | RCB ace a high-speed chase

Bengaluru: Virat Kohli was dropped on zero by Washington Sundar off the first ball he faced. The veteran batter went on to punish Gujarat Titans with a vintage knock (81, 44b, 8x4, 4x6) as Royal Challengers Bengaluru bounced back in style in their final league match at home. Chasing Gujarat Titans' 205/3, the hosts posted a five-wicket win to take their points tally to 10 from seven matches while rising to the second position on the points table. 

Jacob Bethell, who replaced an injured Phil Salt in the XI, couldn't recreate his compatriot's magic but Kohli, along with a magnificent Devdutt Padikkal (55, 27b, 2x4, 6x6) all but shut the game with a 115-run stand for the second wicket that came off just 59 balls. The left-right combination treated seasoned campaigners like Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada with utter disdain as they peppered the Chinnaswamy Stadium pickets with fours and sixes.

On a day when batters from either side competed as much for style as substance, it was the RCB batters who had the last laugh. Titans' Sai Sudharsan had lit up the stadium with a sublime century in the first half of the match. The home batters went one better with a relentless assault in the first 10 overs when they raced 118/1. With this knock, Kohli reached 328 runs for the season while taking the Orange Cap from Abhishek Sharma of Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The chase, which was moving along smoothly, suddenly stuttered for a while when RCB slipped to 173 for five from a comfortable 154 for 3. But Tim David (10 n.o.) and Krunal Pandya (23 n.o.) ensured there were no needless hiccups, reaching 206/5 in 18.5 overs.   

          
Equal credit should go to RCB bowlers who produced a brilliant death-over turnaround as Gujarat Titans could manage only 35 runs in the last four overs, despite scoring 18 runs in the final over by Krunal. While Titans' eventual total of 205 for three in 20 overs wasn't to be taken lightly, it was much less than what they threatened to post when they were cruising at 170/2 at the end of the 16th over.

While the first three overs, during which the RCB bowlers kept the Titans' batters in check, suggested it could be another difficult wicket to bat, Sudharsan (100, 58b, 11x4, 5x6), batted away any such fears, with a stunning counter-attack that was as attractive as it was substantive. With his third century in the Indian Premier League, Sudharsan ended his four-match lean patch with a stunning knock even as Shubman Gill (32, 24b, 2x4, 1x6), looked more than happy to hand most of the strike to his opening partner as Titans bounced back in style with the bat following a dismal show in their last match against Mumbai in Ahmedabad where they were shot out for 100.

Sudharsan's first four came off an edge of the bowling of Bhuvneshwar Kumar but there was hardly any edginess for the rest of his stint during which he displayed the range of shots he could play. He was at equal ease in both steering the ball to third man fence and cutting the next to backward point. He could pull and punch with great comfort while scoops and ramps left RCB bowlers scratching their heads.

The innings, however, was overshadowed by Padikkal-Kohli show, a fitting end to their league campaign in front of their faithful.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli (left) and Devdutt Padikkal forged a 115-run stand for the second wicket to power the hosts to a resounding win over Gujarat Titans at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.  

SCORE BOARD

GUJARAT TITANS: Sai Sudharsan c & b Hazlewood 100 (58b 11x4 5x6) Shubman Gill c Padikkal b Suyash 32 (24b 2x4 1x6) Jos Buttler c Hazlewood b Bhuvneshwar 25 (16b 2x4 1x6) Washington Sundar (not out) 19 (12b 1x4 1x6) Jason Holder (not out) 23 (10b 1x4 2x6). Extras (LB-3 W-3) 6. TOTAL (for 3 wkts 20 overs) 205. Fall of wickets: 1-128 (Gill) 2-160 (Sudharsan) 3-177 (Buttler). Bowling: Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-0-31-1 Josh Hazlewood 4-0-40-1 (w-1) Rasikh Dar 3-028-0 Krunal Pandya 4-0-50-0 (w-1) Romario Shepherd 1-0-17-0 Suyash Sharma 4-0-36-1 (w-1).

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU: Jacob Bethell c Sharukh b Siraj 14 (10b 3x4) Virat Kohli b Holder 81 (44b 8x4 4x6) Devdutt Padikkal b Rashid 55 (27b 2x4 6x6) Rajat Patidar c Washington b Suthar 8 (5b 1x6) Jitesh Sharma c Suthar b Rashid 10 (6b 1x4 1x6) Tim David (not out) 10 (9b 1x6) Krunal Pandya (not out) 23 (12b 3x4 1x6). Extras (LB-2 W-3) 5. TOTAL (for 5 wkts 18.5 overs) 206. Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Bethell) 2-141 (Padikkal) 3-154 (Kohli) 4-171 (Jitesh) 5-173 (Patidar). Bowling: Mohammed Siraj 3-025-1 Kagiso Rabada 4-0-45-0 (w-1) Jason Holder 3.5-0-35-1 (w-1) Prasidh Krishna 2-0-31-0 Rashid Khan 4-0-49-2 (w-1) Manav Suthar 2-0-19-

Result: RCB won by 5 wickets

RCB's next match: April 27 Vs Delhi Capitals (Delhi)