Royal Challengers Bengaluru leg-spinner Suyash Sharma produced a key moment in IPL 2026 as he dismissed Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill during Friday’s game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The strike, and Suyash’s exuberant “bow down” celebration that mirrored Gill’s own century-style routine, quickly became a talking point among fans.
It happened in the 13th over of Gujarat’s innings. On the fourth delivery, Suyash sent down a short googly, and Gill slapped it straight to Devdutt Padikkal at long-on. Gill departed after making 32 off 24 balls, and the way Suyash celebrated the wicket—dropping into the signature gesture—drew particular attention in the match build-up and on social media.
RCB’s mood, however, was not limited to that wicket. Virat Kohli made Gujarat pay for failing to hold on to him earlier in the innings, firing a blistering half-century that helped Bengaluru cruise to a five-wicket win over the Titans. The chase was powered by a strong start and timely acceleration, but it was Kohli’s finishing that turned the contest decisively in RCB’s favour.
For Gujarat, left-handed opener Sai Sudharsan anchored the innings with his third IPL hundred, laying the platform for 205 for 3 after Rajat Patidar won the toss and put RCB in to bat first. Sudharsan’s innings gave the Titans a platform that looked set to test Bengaluru, especially after the middle-order support that followed.
Despite Sudharsan’s dominance at the top, the chase swung after Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal struck a match-winning rhythm. The pair put together a rapid 115-run second-wicket partnership, unleashing a wave of boundaries and clean hitting that delighted the full house at the Chinnaswamy on Bengaluru’s final league outing of the season.
Kohli also benefited from early luck and then turned it into impact. He was dropped by Washington Sundar at mid-wicket off the first ball he faced from Mohammed Siraj in the opening over of the run chase. Instead of letting that reprieve fade, Kohli punished it with a fluent display that underlined his intent and timing.
RCB also had an early personnel change in the chase. The team lost Englishman Jacob Bethell in the third over, with the batter playing his first match of the campaign after stepping in for injured teammate Phil Salt. That setback did not slow RCB’s momentum, as Kohli and Padikkal continued to press forward.
With the pressure building, Kohli and Padikkal delivered the kind of batting that stood out for precision rather than sheer muscle. Their strokes came with rhythm, balance and timing, and the innings carried a sense of control even as the scoring rate climbed.
Padikkal, in particular, took charge early with a stunning array of sixes. The rangy left-hander used his long levers effectively to clear the boundary with regularity, while Kohli stayed close, matching the tempo and ensuring the partnership never lost its edge.
Padikkal reached his half-century first, taking 20 deliveries to get there. Kohli took 30 balls to reach the same landmark, but once the milestone was secured, he kept going—moving past Abhishek Sharma in the process to become the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 328 runs and claim the Orange Cap.
Kohli’s dismissal, though, triggered a brief wobble. He was bowled by Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, struck on the inside edge by Jason Holder. After that, Australian Tim David and Krunal Pandya finished the job without fuss, ensuring Bengaluru crossed the line comfortably.
Earlier, Gujarat’s innings had been shaped heavily by Sudharsan’s early control. His strike dominated the initial overs, with Gill facing only three balls in the first five overs. The Titans’ opening alliance of 128 set the tone, and Sudharsan shrugged off a modest start to the tournament by finding the boundary repeatedly.
Gujarat appeared on course for a score in the 220 region, but Bengaluru clawed back late through their experienced seamers—Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood—along with Rasikh Salam, who added pressure at key stages. Still, the late surge was not enough to erase the foundation Sudharsan had laid.
In the final over, Gujarat needed two sixes off Holder, bowled by Pandya, to sneak beyond 200. They ended up with a total that was competitive, but ultimately fell short of what was required to defend against RCB’s chase.
