Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi produced a landmark moment against Virat Kohli during the IPL 2026 clash between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Guwahati on Friday. Bishnoi dismissed Kohli with a clean bowled finish after the RCB batter made 32 runs from 16 balls, leaving the India star beaten by a googly that slipped past bat and pad before crashing into the stumps. It marked the first time in 1,089 days that Kohli was knocked over in the IPL via the bowled dismissal—an outcome last seen when Akash Singh of Chennai Super Kings achieved something similar in 2023.
Rajasthan Royals chase down RCB in Guwahati
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru set the tone first, with skipper Rajat Patidar striking a hard-hitting half-century of 63 to help the side reach 201 for 8.
- RCB’s innings was further boosted by contributions from Virat Kohli (32), Romario Shepherd (22) and Venkatesh Iyer (29), who all added useful runs in the middle overs.
- In response, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi delivered a rapid knock of 78 from 26 balls while Dhruv Jurel remained steady with an unbeaten 81 off 43 to steer the chase.
- Sooryavanshi and Jurel forged a second-wicket alliance worth 108 runs in 37 deliveries, giving Rajasthan Royals the momentum they needed to chase the target.
- Krunal Pandya sparked a brief comeback by taking two wickets, including back-to-back dismissals that tightened the contest.
- However, Jurel—partnering Ravindra Jadeja, who made 24—completed the run chase with another 68-run stand, sealing the result with two overs still left.
- For Rajasthan Royals, the bowling attack was backed by Jofra Archer (2/33), Ravi Bishnoi (2/32) and Brijesh Sharma (2/37), with each taking crucial wickets.
After the win, Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag reflected on the team’s overall improvement and the lessons drawn from recent performances. “Keeping the previous years in mind, I feel we were not up to the mark in a few years that we’ve played here. But today, I think it was very clinical. It’s always about getting better,” Parag said. He added that while 200 would have felt like a fair outcome for them at the start, the way the team clawed back in the middle overs made him feel the side was still slightly off the mark. “I would have been happy with 200. But I think the way we clawed back in the middle overs, I still think we were like 20 over par.”
Parag also pointed to execution issues in the bowling phase and suggested that a few decisions and the amount of room given to batters played a part. “We should have bowled a little better, executed a little better. Maybe I made a few bad decisions and restricted them to like a 170-ish,” he said. When asked about what went wrong, he highlighted the match context and the risks of offering space. “This is a wicket where not a lot of sixes are hit down the ground, especially our spinners. So I felt at some points we gave a little bit of room, played to the batter’s advantage. So I think as we move forward, we learn from these mistakes and try not to repeat them.”
