IPL 2026: Kohli's Explosive innings eclipses Sai's Century as RCB Defeats GT in High-Scoring Thriller

Bengaluru: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in a high-scoring IPL 2026 encounter on Friday. Powered by a century knock from Sai Sudharsan, Gujarat Titans posted a total of 205 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 20 overs. In reply, Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched the match with 7 balls to spare, aided by a commanding half-century innings from Virat Kohli. Bengaluru scored 206 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 18.5 overs.

For RCB, Virat Kohli played a knock of 81 runs off 44 balls. For Gujarat, Rashid Khan claimed two wickets, while Mohammed Siraj, Jason Holder, and Manav took one wicket each. With this victory, Royal Challengers Bengaluru has reached a tally of 10 points, while Gujarat has suffered its fourth defeat.

How did Virat Kohli perform?

Chasing a target of 206 runs, Royal Challengers Bengaluru got off to a strong start thanks to the opening pair of Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli. Jacob was dismissed after scoring 14 runs off 10 balls. Following his dismissal, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal forged a 115-run partnership for the second wicket off 59 balls. Devdutt scored 55 runs off 27 balls; his innings featured two fours and six sixes.

Thanks to a century by Sai Sudharsan (100 runs), Gujarat Titans posted a competitive total of 205 runs for the loss of three wickets against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL match on Friday. The first 12.4 overs of the Gujarat Titans' innings stood in stark contrast to typical T20 batting, as the former champions demonstrated that runs can indeed be scored in this format without resorting to outright aggression.

How did Sai Sudharsan perform?

To reach his third IPL century, Sudharsan struck 11 fours and five sixes during his 58-ball innings. His knock proved to be a solid foundation for the team. This left-handed batsman maintained complete dominance right from the start during a 128-run opening partnership with his partner and captain, Shubman Gill (32 runs off 24 balls). Sudharsan scored 29 runs during the Powerplay, while Gill faced only seven deliveries. The 24-year-old Tamil Nadu batsman amassed 46 runs within the Powerplay and then, in magnificent fashion, completed his half-century off just 33 balls—a milestone he reached by smashing a powerful six off Romario Shepherd. During this innings, he also became the fastest player in the IPL to reach the 2,000-run mark.

He scored his next fifty runs at an even faster pace, taking just 24 balls to do so. During this phase, he completely neutralized RCB's spin duo of Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma. Krunal attempted to keep Sudharsan in check by employing his signature bouncer, but the batsman was fully prepared; executing an 'upper cut,' he sent the ball sailing over the boundary for a six.

Following this, he struck a four off the very same bowler and then hit a six using a sweep shot. Consequently, RCB captain Rajat Patidar was forced to consider alternative bowling options. Gill's dismissal did not significantly alter the course of the match, as Sudharsan continued to accumulate runs steadily. Suyash granted him a lifeline when, with Sudharsan on a score of 91, he dropped a catch off his own bowling. Sudharsan completed his century by taking a single off Suyash, but he could not extend his innings further and handed a simple catch to Josh Hazlewood.

His dismissal allowed RCB to stage a minor comeback during the death overs. At the end of the 17th over, Gujarat Titans' score stood at 174 for the loss of two wickets; however, the team managed to add only 31 runs thereafter. These runs were scored solely thanks to a brief, brisk innings (23 not out off 10 balls) by team debutant Jason Holder.