A light-hearted moment between Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2026 fixture against Gujarat Titans on Friday has captured plenty of attention online. In the middle of the action, Kohli walked over to Gill and exchanged a few words with a laugh, while the Titans captain responded with a smile of his own. The clip of their friendly interaction spread quickly across social media, adding a lighter edge to a match that otherwise belonged to the batters.
On the field, Gill’s contribution was solid rather than spectacular, with the Gujarat captain making 32 runs off 24 balls, striking two fours and one six. Yet, despite Gill getting in and setting a platform for the innings, it was Sai Sudharsan who turned the contest on its head for Gujarat Titans with a commanding century. Sudharsan’s 100 stood out in a format that often rewards aggression for its own sake, but his approach still produced the kind of control and momentum that allowed GT to post a challenging total of 205 for three against RCB.
In fact, the way Gujarat batted in the middle overs—especially the 12.4 overs of their innings—looked like an “anti-thesis” to the usual T20 script. Former champions demonstrated that runs can be manufactured without necessarily swinging at everything in anger, keeping the scoreboard moving steadily while still finding boundaries at the right moments.
Sudharsan’s innings, which came off 58 balls and marked his third IPL hundred, became the backbone of GT’s unusually composed batting display. From the start, he dominated the 128-run partnership with his opening partner and skipper Shubman Gill. Sudharsan used up 29 balls during the Power Play portion, while Gill faced seven deliveries in that same phase, setting the tone for a partnership built on pressure rather than panic.
The Tamil Nadu batter, now 24 years old, also reached the milestone of becoming the fastest to accumulate 2000 IPL runs during his stay at the crease. He made 46 runs in the Power Play and then brought up his fifty in 33 balls, striking Romario Shepherd for a six as he accelerated. From there, his next stretch of fifty arrived even quicker—on just 24 balls—during which he disrupted RCB’s plans, particularly against the spin duo of Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma.
Krunal attempted one of his familiar tactics with a bouncer, trying to unsettle Sudharsan, but the batter read it well and responded by cutting the delivery over backward point for another six. He then added a boundary and a swept six off the same bowler, forcing RCB skipper Rajat Patidar to adjust his options as the innings continued to gain momentum for Gujarat. Even when Gill’s dismissal came, it didn’t meaningfully change the rhythm, with Sudharsan continuing to “bleed” RCB’s bowling quietly and efficiently through gaps and calculated boundary selection.
Gill’s departure arrived after Sudharsan had already built a strong platform, with the left-hander having been dropped on 91 by Suyash off his bowling. Sudharsan completed his hundred with a single off Suyah, but after reaching the landmark he couldn’t extend the innings further, eventually offering a catch to Josh Hazlewood in what was a rather subdued ending to a big afternoon.
He fell exactly at 100, a score that mirrored the figure Gujarat had also posted against Mumbai Indians in a recent 99-run rout. However, while Sudharsan’s exit reduced the immediate threat, it did allow RCB to claw back some momentum late in the innings. Between overs 17—when GT were 174 for two—and 20, Gujarat managed only 31 runs, and boundary counting wasn’t as frequent as earlier in the chase. Even so, a brief burst did come via a cameo from debutant Jason Holder, who struck 23 not out off 10 balls, helping GT keep the total well within striking distance for a competitive finish.
With the pitch showing a slightly sticky nature, RCB will need to bat with real quality to chase a target like 205, and the match’s closing overs hinted that the home side’s task won’t be simple—even after Gujarat’s late slowdown.
