New Delhi: A deficit of 15 to 20 runs in the death overs can often trouble teams, and that is exactly what Gujarat Titans experienced on Friday when they were asked to bat first by Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL 2026 clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.Despite the difference between a great start and a record opening Shubman Gill And Sai Sudarshan, GT’s 205/3 ultimately felt weak once defending champions RCB started the chase.Much of the credit for this goes to the three crucial overs from Suyyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, who stunned the Titans in the death overs.three magical oversAt the end of 16 overs, Gujarat Titans were in a good position at 170/2 on the back of an excellent 128-run opening partnership between Sudarshan and Gill. With Jos Buttler and Washington Sundar at the crease and firepower like Jason Holder, Shah Rukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan still to come, GT looked set for a total of over 230.But the end never came.Suyyash Sharma bowled the 17th over brilliantly, giving only four runs and not giving a chance to Buttler or Sundar.After this, Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled the 18th over and took the important wicket of Butler giving only five runs. The pressure had already built and GT was now scrambling.Josh Hazlewood then delivered another blow in the 19th over, conceding only eight runs and closing the door on GT’s late lead.In the end, Gujarat Titans played 18 balls without any boundaries at a crucial stage when they were expected to explode.What was once looking like a score of over 230 came back to 205 thanks to a disciplined performance from RCB in the death overs.Even captain Shubman Gill later admitted how decisive those overs were.“I think from 16 to 19 overs, in those three overs we couldn’t hit any boundaries and we didn’t score as many runs as we wanted to. I think those three overs were very important 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 couldn’t do once the powerplay was over,” Gill said in the post-match presentation.Kohli survived an early lifelineRCB’s target could have been derailed in the first over itself, but Gujarat Titans missed a golden opportunity.Virat KohliOn zero, Washington Sundar gave a direct chance to mid-wicket after mistimed a delivery from Mohammed Siraj.That mistake proved extremely costly.Kohli repaid GT in full by scoring 81 runs in 44 balls with the help of eight fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 184.09. During his strong innings, he also hit two consecutive sixes on Jason Holder.Kohli-Padikkal show confirms thisDevdutt Padikkal and Kohli then put on a match-defining partnership of 115 runs for the second wicket, as RCB firmly took control of the chase.Padikkal’s 55 and Kohli’s 81 ensured that RCB easily chased down 206 in 18.5 overs and moved to second place on the points table with 10 points.

Virat Kohli was named the player of the match after Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. Kohli scored 81 runs on 44 balls RCB achieved the target of 206 runs in 18.5 overs.. However, he described Devdutt Padikkal as the real difference-maker and the real hero of the victory.

Padikkal scored a half-century in 20 balls and scored 55 runs in 27 balls, before he was dismissed by Rashid Khan. Kohli said that their 115-run partnership for the second wicket set the tone for the chase. He also remembered Padikkal’s inning of 61 runs in 26 balls earlier. IPL 2026, when they made a partnership of 101 runs RCB wins over Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets.

“We had to assess the conditions early on. We were just one partnership away. We wanted to try and analyse. Padikkal has done that twice this season. It’s quite rare to be honest. His innings was the clear difference. I was trying to stay in the game. That partnership was a game changer,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

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Virat Kohli praised RCB bowlers

Kohli also praised the RCB bowlers for not letting the GT batsmen take the game away. After 16 overs, the Titans were at 170 and looked set to sail towards 230 or more. However, RCB conceded only 17 runs in the next three overs – less than a run-a-ball – before Krunal Pandya scored 18 runs in the final over.

“Even in our bowling innings, we did well in pulling things back. We were looking at 230-235 at one point,” Kohli said.

Kohli also got luck to some extent. In the very first over of RCB’s chase, they got relief on the very first ball. Mohammed Siraj created a chance, but Washington Sundar dropped a simple catch at midwicket, after which Kohli made GT pay.

Kohli also hit 300 sixes in the IPL and is now just 11 runs short of becoming the first batsman to reach 9,000 runs in the history of the tournament. Meanwhile, with their win over GT, RCB moved up to second on the table with 10 points and a net run rate of +1.101, having won five of their seven matches.

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New Delhi: Sai Sudarshan’s century was not enough for Gujarat Titans to return to winning ways as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) comfortably chased 206 to beat Shubman Gill’s side by five wickets in an IPL 2026 match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. Virat Kohli And Devdutt Padikkal led the chase. Chasing 206, RCB suffered an early blow when Jacob Bethel was out early. After this, Kohli and Devdutt took charge and added 115 runs for the second wicket to put the home team in a strong position.Kohli scored 81 runs while Devdutt scored 55 runs and their partnership ensured that the asking rate remained under control. RCB completed the chase in 18.5 overs and moved to second place in the points table with 10 points.Kohli got a lease of life when Washington Sundar dropped his catch at zero on the ball of Mohammad Siraj. After that, he settled down and handled Prasidh Krishna and Kagiso Rabada well.He hit two fours off Prasidh, hit a six off Rabada and hit another six off Rashid Khan over midwicket. Kohli completed his half-century in 30 balls.At the other end, Devdutt matched him stroke by stroke. He hit two sixes to Prasidh and also hit a six to Rashid. He completed his half-century 10 balls before Kohli.Rashid finally broke the stand with the ball by bowling Devdutt. Kohli, who looked in control throughout, was later dismissed by Jason Holder after pulling the ball onto his stumps.RCB then lost ground for a while as captain Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma were also out, leaving their score at 173 for five.But Krunal Pandya scored 23 runs in 12 balls and Tim David added 10 runs to give RCB the victory. This was his fourth win over Chinnaswamy in five matches this season.Earlier, with the help of Sai Sudarshan’s 100 runs, Gujarat Titans scored 205 runs for three wickets when invited to bat.Opening with captain Shubman Gill, Sudarshan made a partnership of 128 runs for the first wicket. Gill scored 32 runs in 24 balls, but Sudarshan was the main scorer and dominated the stand.The left-handed batsman scored 46 runs in the powerplay and completed his half-century in 33 balls by hitting a six off Romario Shepherd. His next half-century came in just 24 balls as he attacked the spin of Krunal and Suyyash Sharma.During the innings, Sudarshan also became the fastest batsman to score 2,000 runs in the IPL. He completed his century by taking a single off Suyyash.He was dismissed by Suyyash on his own ball on the score of 91 but he could not last long after the century. He was out on exactly 100 runs by giving a return catch to Josh Hazlewood.After his dismissal, RCB handled things well. From 174 runs for two wickets in the 17th over, Gujarat could score only 31 runs in the last four overs. Holder’s unbeaten 23 off 10 balls helped them cross 200, but it was not enough as RCB completed the chase with ease.

Opening the innings for Gujarat Titans against RCB at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Sai Sudarshan returned to form with a century in 57 balls, his third IPL century. After RCB chose to field, Sudarshan opened with Shubman Gill and put together a 128-run partnership for the first wicket, setting the stage for a big score.

Sau also placed him in a notable list. Sudarshan became the 14th batsman to score IPL A century against RCB and only the second Gujarat Titans player to do so after Gill’s effort in the 2023 season.

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He didn’t start off in a reassuring manner. His first boundary came off a thick outside edge that went past the short third boundary, but he was quickly disposed of. A deliberate steer was run in the same area, before a crisp punch through cover. Even when he came out of his crease early in the innings, there was no urgency, only control, as he pushed the ball straight towards the bowler.

RCB bowlers struggled to maintain their grip and Sudarshan made them suffer for it. Rasikh Salaam was pulled and cut consistently for boundaries as the left-handed batsman started to move through the gears. Immediately after this the first six of the innings was hit. Against Josh Hazlewood, Sudarshan made good use of the pace, scooping him brilliantly for four before hitting a six over cover-point and another four behind point in the same over.

He scored 41 runs from 27 balls, which ensured that Gujarat Titans did not lose momentum in the powerplay, ending at 57 without loss. His half-century came off 33 balls, completed with a controlled scoop off Romario Shepherd. Keeping the innings on track, he continued to hit boundaries without increasing the pace.

In the middle overs, Sudarshan maintained the pace while expanding his range. He uppercut Krunal Pandya over deep third for six and followed it up with a slog sweep, reaching 2000 IPL runs in the process. He achieved the feat in 47 innings, leaving Chris Gayle behind as the fastest in the tournament.

There was no shortage. Sudarshan started the 13th over with a six over wide long-off off Suyyash Sharma and then continued to control his position with straight hits. He remained measured throughout the innings, choosing his scoring areas and keeping the board moving, before Josh Hazlewood used pace and bounce to end his brilliant innings.

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Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer believes that T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav is becoming too predictable in his shot selection, which is causing the bowlers to get the better of him. Domestic cricket icon Jaffer feels that Surya lacks a backup plan against opposition teams to counter his strength, which is causing him to lose his wickets.

This comes after Surya failed to help his Indian Premier League franchise, Mumbai Indians chase a mammoth target set by eternal rivals Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 23. He scored 36 runs from 30 balls as his team was reduced to 11/3 in the first three overs while chasing the target of 208 runs. Mumbai lost this match by 103 runs.

He has had a forgettable tournament so far, scoring only 157 runs at a strike rate of 142.73 in seven innings, with only one fifty-plus score against Delhi Capitals when he was required to captain the side in the absence of Hardik Pandya.

Jaffer believes Surya’s struggles are due to teams now bowling tighter lengths, which is not giving him enough space behind the wicket to play his trademark shots. He believes that Surya should focus on playing more in front of the wicket, down the ground.

Jafar said on his X account, “Sky (Sun) is getting stuck like this again and again.” “Teams set fields to restrict his leg-side and behind-the-wicket shots. He needs a Plan B. He might go straight or hit over cover. Don’t be predictable. Too good a player to fall into the same trap.”

Mumbai born batsman was dismissed 14th over by Akeal Hossein Distribution. Attempting a sweep, the right-handed batsman bowled the ball straight to deep backward square leg, where Sarfaraz Khan took a simple catch.

After the team’s early collapse, Surya along with Tilak Verma tried to revive MI’s innings, the duo sharing a partnership of 73 runs. Despite this effort, CSK defeated Mumbai at home. securing a comfortable victory.

Mumbai Indians now have a seven-day break before their next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, April 29.

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Bengaluru: Friday’s IPL clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium brings together two polar opposite captains. Rajat Patidar, who had only limited leadership experience on the domestic circuit before being handed the RCB captain’s job last season, has become the defending champions’ most explosive batsman and a steady hand in the high-pressure campaign.Shubman Gill, in contrast, comes with a hefty leadership resume that includes India’s Test and ODI captaincy. But he has had a much less fluent season for Gujarat Titans, especially in the powerplay, even though his numbers still place him among the league’s leading run-scorers. As a team, Gujarat have been stumbling, having recently suffered a crushing 99-run defeat against Mumbai Indians.Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Patidar’s rise has been one of the sharpest storylines of this season. Before being handed the RCB captaincy, his leadership experience was largely limited to Madhya Pradesh’s campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.He has backed up his relative inexperience with fearless batting by dominating the middle overs over the past few seasons. Currently the team’s second-highest run-scorer with 230 runs in six matches (strike rate 212.96), Patidar has been RCB’s power-hitting spark this season.Gill, on the other hand, has had a more uneventful season. The 26-year-old has had to carry a heavy scoring load given the poor results around him this season. With a strike rate of 151.42, Gill is third in the run-scorers’ charts with 265 runs in five matches.

With three half-centuries to his name, Gill has faced a tough phase as GT captain, with the former champion going through inconsistent performances. This contradiction between the captains is at the heart of a competition in which both teams take the field despite defeats.RCB have looked sharp in the powerplay and death overs, with Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and Patidar providing a strong top-end up the order and Tim David producing brilliant finishes. Meanwhile, GT had won three consecutive matches before their last match, but the batting order was exposed in the crushing defeat to Mumbai, which revealed their dependence on the top order.While RCB’s batting has been their biggest weapon, their bowling still looks a bit weak when forced to defend on home soil and the onus will once again be on Bhuvneshwar Kumar and spinner Krunal Pandya. They will also be hoping that their Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood returns after a day off against the Capitals.Meanwhile, GT’s pace attack remains a major strength, with Prasidh Krishna being their leading wicket-taker and the support unit around him bothering them, but their batting has been heavily dependent on Gill, Jos Buttler and Sai Sudarshan. This makes the mid-order a potential pressure point. On his home ground, Prasidh could check the RCB batsmen.History offers little to distinguish them. The head-to-head encounter is level at 3-3, while GT won the match here in 2025 by eight wickets.With RCB playing their last home league match in Bengaluru, the hosts won’t just want points: they will want to sign Utkarsh.

It’s the ultimate “King vs Prince” tale as Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) prepare to host Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans (GT) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. With both teams looking for a crucial win, the “Prince” will look to unite his wounded Titans and break the fort of the “Kings” in what promises to be a high-octane encounter.

Despite their recent struggles, the Titans will want to remain confident. However, form is not in his favor at the moment. GT enters this fixture rotating 99 run defeat against Mumbai IndiansA defeat that exposed significant cracks in their lower middle order.

RCB, on the other hand, find themselves in a slightly better position in the table after winning four of their last six matches. Nevertheless, they also come into this game following Delhi Capitals’ disappointing defeat at home. In that match, victory slipped through their fingers in the final over when David Miller’s clinical counterattack against Romario Shepherd halted RCB’s momentum.

However, more than the batting, it could prove to be a battle of the bowlers when the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna will face Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and possibly Rasikh Salaam Dhar. If the pitch has any zip or movement, it can be an exciting contest, with elite operators either hitting top gear or using subtle variations to outwit some of the best batsmen in the game. Meanwhile, Krunal Pandya and Rashid Khan may try and swing things in favor of their teams during the middle overs phase.

Since this will be the final league game of the season at Chinnaswamy, RCB will be keen to utilize the Bengaluru faithful to the fullest on a track famous for high scores.

weaknesses

GT’s batting core remains largely unchanged from 2025, with Shubman Gill, B. Top three players like Sai Sudarshan and Jos Buttler are included. While Glenn Phillips is a new addition, the departure of Sherfane Rutherford has created a void.

Problem? While Gill and Buttler have been scoring, the top order has not been as spectacular as it was last year. With Sai Sudarshan struggling for rhythm at the top, the middle order has been forced to come into the game very early.

“The middle order was undoubtedly exposed,” Noted GT batting coach Matthew Hayden after MI’s defeat. “We should not allow players like Rahul Tewatia or Shahrukh Khan to face a high volume of balls. That is not their role; that is not what they train for.”

GT’s middle order is currently out for just 135 runs with the least number of sixes (eight).

For RCB, the Achilles’ heel remains their execution in the last five overs. The loss to DC was a prime example of victory status being surrendered at the death. Romario Shepherd still has the support, but will he be able to keep Jacob Bethel out of the team for long, with only the team balance pushing his case forward?

Will there be an eye on the players?

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar- Bhuvneshwar will remain a bowler even at the age of 36 Given his favorable record against the top order, he is one to keep an eye on against GT. He has dismissed Buttler seven times and Gill four times and has not given runs to either of them at a strike rate above 110.

GT’s top three players come into this game after being out in the powerplay for the first time in their last game against Mumbai Indians. Additionally, Jos Buttler has scored two zeroes and two centuries in his last five innings against RCB.

Jason Holder – If West Indies get the nod ahead of Glenn Phillips, GT may sacrifice a batsman for an all-rounder who has been in good form with both bat and ball since the T20 World Cup. At Chinnaswamy, a venue that offers spongy bounce, Holder’s height and back-of-length game could give him the X-factor GT is looking for.

pitch and conditions

Chinnaswamy is a batsman’s paradise. The short boundaries leave little margin for error for the bowlers, although the slower surface in the latter half may provide some grip for the spinners. Dew is expected to play a major role, possibly giving a significant advantage to the team batting at number two.

Pitch number 6, which is used for CSK and LSG games, will likely be played for this match. AccuWeather has predicted “partly cloudy sky” for Bengaluru, ensuring that a full game of cricket is likely to take place.

head to head

Historically, there is nothing to separate these two sides, with the overall record standing at 3-3. However, the Titans hold the lead at this particular venue, and lead 2-1 at Chinnaswamy. In their last meeting here, GT’s top order made light work of a challenging total, and chased it down with clinical defiance.

Probable XI

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (captain), Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyyash Sharma.
effect sub- Rasikh Salaam Dhar

Gujarat Titans (GT): Shubman Gill (captain), Sai Sudarshan, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Kumar Kushagra, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Rashid Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj.
effect sub- Ashok Sharma/Shahrukh Khan

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