Gujarat Titans discovered how quickly a late-innings advantage can evaporate when they were asked to bat first by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL 2026 encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. Starting with pace and momentum, GT built a strong platform before the defending champions clawed back control in the closing overs, ultimately restricting the Titans to 205/3 and setting up an RCB chase that was completed with ease.
Gujarat Titans’ strong start, then a late slowdown
After being put in to bat, Gujarat Titans raced out confidently, powered by a record opening partnership. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan combined for a 128-run stand, giving GT a commanding look toward a big score.
At the halfway stage of the innings, the Titans appeared set to reach a 230-plus total. By the end of 16 overs, they were sitting pretty at 170/2, with Jos Buttler and Washington Sundar in at the crease and additional batting depth still to come, including names such as Jason Holder, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan.
The three overs that pulled the match away
What followed was a sharp tightening of the screws during the death overs. Three specific phases—bowled by Suyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood—stopped GT’s acceleration at exactly the wrong time.
- Suyash Sharma (17th over): Conceded just four runs, keeping Jos Buttler and Washington Sundar from settling and breaking GT’s rhythm.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (18th over): Delivered a decisive spell, taking Buttler’s wicket while allowing only five runs, forcing GT into damage control.
- Josh Hazlewood (19th over): Further restricted the Titans, giving away eight runs and making it difficult for any late surge to gather momentum.
Even more telling was the boundary drought at a crucial stage: Gujarat Titans went 18 balls without finding the fence when they were expected to explode. What looked like it could be a 230-plus total was instead trimmed back to 205, largely due to RCB’s disciplined execution in the final stretch.
Shubman Gill on the decisive overs
After the match, GT captain Shubman Gill acknowledged how critical the middle-to-death overs had been. He pointed out that the side struggled to score boundaries between 16 and 19 overs, despite being in a healthy position at the end of the powerplay.
Gill said: “I think from 16 till 19, those three overs, we couldn’t get any boundaries and we didn’t get as many runs as we would have liked. I think those three overs were very crucial for us. I mean, at the end of the powerplay, I think we were in a good position. It was all about taking wickets in the middle overs, which I think we were not able to just after the powerplay got over.”
RCB’s chase: Kohli’s breakthrough, then the finishing partnership
RCB’s successful run chase began with a warning sign for Gujarat. In the opening over, a chance went begging—Virat Kohli, still on nought, was dropped off Mohammed Siraj after Washington Sundar let a straightforward opportunity slip at mid-wicket following a mistimed flick.
That early lifeline proved expensive. Kohli soon took control, smashing 81 off 44 deliveries—featuring eight fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 184.09. During his dominant innings, he also attacked Jason Holder with back-to-back sixes, turning the chase into a one-man show.
Padikkal and Kohli seal the result
Once the foundations were laid, Devdutt Padikkal joined Kohli to complete the job. The pair put together a match-defining 115-run partnership for the second wicket, pulling RCB firmly ahead and tightening the pressure on GT’s bowlers.
- Padikkal’s contribution: 55 runs.
- Kohli’s contribution: 81 runs (81 off 44 balls).
- Chase completed: RCB reached 206 in 18.5 overs.
- Points table impact: The win lifted RCB to second place with 10 points.
With Kohli’s early momentum and the control delivered through the Padikkal–Kohli partnership, Royal Challengers Bengaluru ensured that Gujarat Titans’ late-innings boundary drought would ultimately decide the outcome.
