Royal Challengers Bengaluru suffered a fourth defeat of IPL 2025’s campaign, going down to Gujarat Titans by four wickets in Ahmedabad on Thursday, April 30. It was a performance that felt unusually flat for the defending champions: Bengaluru managed 155 in 19.2 overs, and Shubman Gill’s rapid, match-winning batting ensured they never truly got the game under control.
Match in numbers: how it unfolded
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 155 all out in 19.2 overs
Devdutt Padikkal 40 (24); Arshad Khan 3/19, Rashid Khan 2/19, Jason Holder 2/29
Gujarat Titans: 158/6 in 15.5 overs
Shubman Gill 43 (18), Jos Buttler 39 (19); Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3/28, Romario Shepherd 2/30
Result: Gujarat Titans won by 4 wickets
Gujarat’s victory was built on disciplined bowling, with Arshad Khan leading the charge by taking three wickets and Jason Holder contributing a couple as well. Rashid Khan also steadied the innings at a crucial stage, and Bengaluru were dismissed before they could bat out the full quota of 20 overs.
Kohli’s early burst lights up the stadium
A crowd of 90,865 at the Narendra Modi Stadium had plenty to cheer early, with Virat Kohli showing the sort of intent that has defined his best T20 displays this season. He took on Kagiso Rabada immediately, starting to pile pressure from the second over. Kohli then strung together five straight boundaries—finding the fence with a lofted shot over mid-off, a cut through backward point, and a drive through cover point—an exhibition that looked like it could extend for the entire innings.
He kept the aggression going, stepping out to drive Mohammed Siraj over long on. Even after being beaten on the first ball in a later exchange and nearly playing on right afterwards, Kohli’s rhythm returned quickly. However, the game shifted when Rabada pitched one up as Kohli came forward; the batter top-edged a pull, and Rashid Khan took a tumbling catch at mid-wicket.
Why Bengaluru’s innings unravelled
The turning point wasn’t the pitch alone—it was the timing and quality of the dismissals. Rashid Khan’s ability to extract turn played its part, but the damage had already been done earlier as Bengaluru’s batters repeatedly fell into tame shots against the Gujarat bowlers.
Four different batters, Kohli included, were dismissed with the short mid-wicket fielder coming into the story. Bengaluru were only down by two wickets in the powerplay, yet Rajat Patidar looked uncomfortable against Rabada’s pressure. Rabada also managed to force a ball into the Patidar edge; the leading edge somehow evaded the fielder in the deep third-man area.
Patidar’s wicket sparked debate. Jason Holder completed a spectacular catch at deep square leg while avoiding contact with Rabada. The TV umpire ruled Patidar out, but replays suggested the ball may have touched the ground, raising questions about whether Holder controlled the ball cleanly through the catch.
Holder, though, continued to influence the proceedings. He removed Jitesh Sharma before taking another catch at short mid-wicket as Tim David tried to slog a Rashid delivery. For Bengaluru, only Devdutt Padikkal offered consistent resistance with his 40. Impact substitute Venkatesh Iyer also spent time in the middle without finding fluency.
Bengaluru’s off-day: errors and awkward breaks
Several moments underlined how difficult the day was for RCB. Josh Hazlewood’s dismissal was one such incident: he was almost run out at the striker’s end, but when he attempted to steal a bye off a ricochet, he ended up short at the non-striker’s end. Bengaluru even used a review in the third over, but replays confirmed there was a clean gap between bat and ball.
To compound the situation, Kohli’s overthrow turned what could have been a simple single into five runs. Jitesh Sharma also dropped Jos Buttler on 1, a rare lapse that summed up the overall feel of the innings—one where mistakes kept feeding the opposition.
Gill takes charge in the powerplay
With a target in reach, Shubman Gill began with intent from the outset, striking a four and a six in Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s opening over. The real statement, though, came against Josh Hazlewood. Gill hammered three fours and two sixes in the second over, using the full range of his strokes to dominate the phase. Kohli was nearby, engaged in a high-intensity battle, but Gill’s timing made it hard for the bowler to settle.
Even when Gill was dismissed, his exit was a reflection of his quality—he smashed the ball, only for it to land in Kohli’s hands at cover. Jos Buttler then attacked Hazlewood as well. Hazlewood conceded 49 across his three powerplay overs and finished with figures of 0/56.
Was there a twist? Gujarat still close it out
Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered a major breakthrough with his fifth three-wicket haul of the season, removing the top three batters. Buttler’s cameo then pushed the chase further into Gujarat’s favour, and it looked like the match could be wrapped up comfortably.
But Romario Shepherd’s double strike in the 11th over opened the door slightly for Bengaluru. Rahul Tewatia and Jason Holder steadied the chase with a brisk 30-run partnership. Holder eventually fell to Suyash Sharma, yet Tewatia and Rashid Khan ensured the job was completed with plenty of deliveries to spare.
Notably, Krunal Pandya did not bowl at all, especially striking given that Bengaluru had been left short of bowling options after using a batter as a substitute.
Next fixtures for both teams
Gujarat Titans will remain at home for their next game against Punjab Kings on Sunday, May 3. Royal Challengers Bengaluru have a six-day break before returning to action, taking on Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on Thursday, May 7.
