A strong charge was led by veteran Virat Kohli (81) and Devdutt Padikkal (55) as the Royal Challengers.

In the 34th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated the Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets.

Kohli attempted his trademark flick off Mohammed Siraj early in the game, but he hit it too high, and Washington Sundar dropped it at short midwicket, giving RCB a stroke of luck. This error was costly.

After a little period of fortune for Impact Player Jacob Bethell, who edged one to backward point and was caught by Kagiso Rabada, Kohli swiftly regained his rhythm.

Padikkal made an immediate impression. He assumed Rabada’s speed, which was measured at 153. 6 kph, and blasted a six over deep square leg. After that, he punished Siraj for his errors by hitting a towering six over extra cover and making mistakes with his boundaries.

Shortly after that, Kohli joined in, moving down the track against Rabada and becoming the first batsman to reach this milestone by hitting his 800th IPL four.

With a string of boundaries and sixes, including a flick, a pull, and a loft over long-off, Padikkal destroyed Prasidh Krishna in the middle overs, shifting the momentum.

He then went after Rashid Khan, blasting him for six over long-off and sweeping for another six, giving him a scorching half-century off only 30 balls. He reached 50 runs in just 20 balls at one point.

At the same time, Kohli took full advantage of his early opportunity. With his 300th IPL six, which he pulled against Rashid, he achieved a major milestone, placing him in a select group behind just Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle.

Kohli was unwilling to play a backseat role, so he went after Rabada, hitting a flick for four and a massive six over deep midwicket, which helped maintain the needed run rate.

With a googly that struck the bails, Rashid tricked Padikkal into ending his innings at 55 runs from 27 balls. But Kohli persisted, launching two straight sixes at Jason Holder, one over mid-off and the other a strong flick over deep midwicket.

The seasoned player ultimately fell for 81 runs off 44 balls, slicing a slower delivery from Holder onto his stumps. By that time, RCB had gained command of the chase, maintaining a comfortable lead with their rapid scoring.

Sai Sudharsan‘s outstanding century helped the Gujarat Titans earlier in the day establish a strong score of 205/3. Before taking command as the conditions got better, the left-hander had to contend with a challenging beginning against Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, both of whom were able to generate movement and bounce.

With the help of Sudharsan’s 41 runs off of 27 balls, GT was able to score 57/0 during the power play.

With a combination of innovative strokes and measured aggression, he continued to rule the middle overs, reaching his half-century in 33 balls. He achieved his 2000th IPL run with a slog sweep after delivering an uppercut to Krunal Pandya for six, making him the fastest player to reach this milestone in 47 innings, ahead of Gayle, Shaun Marsh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and KL Rahul. This was a notable moment.

In the end, Sudharsan was dismissed by Hazlewood for a fantastic 100 off 58 deliveries, killing any chance of a late rally. The GT surpassed the 200-mark thanks to contributions from Jos Buttler and Shubman Gill, as well as a late surge from Holder and Washington Sundar.

Nonetheless, Kohli and Padikkal spearheaded RCB’s fierce retaliation, maintaining their lead in the high-scoring game that followed.

By hitting sixes off Rashid Khan, Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma attempted to bring the game to a conclusion, but the leg-spinner retaliated by catching Jitesh in the covers.

From the opposite end, left-arm spinner Manav Suthar fooled Patidar in the air, causing him to hit a miscue to extra cover and leaving RCB with five wickets down. The chase seemed to be falling apart when Krunal Pandya seized control.

He launched a decisive counterattack against Suthar in the 18th over by hitting back-to-back boundaries and then a massive six over deep midwicket. RCB won the game by five wickets, thanks in part to Krunal’s undefeated 23 runs off 12 deliveries, which included 17 runs in the over.

Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 205/3 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 100, Shubman Gill 32; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1-31, Suyash Sharma 1-36)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 206/5 in 18.5 overs (Virat Kohli 81, Devdutt Padikkal 55; Rashid Khan 2-49, Jason Holder 1-28)