IPL 2026: All-round GT pip RCB at Narendra Modi Stadium
What's the story
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered a defeat against hosts Gujarat Titans (GT) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash. Match number 42 was played at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Fast bowler Arshad Khan was the star performer for GT, claiming three wickets and helping his team bowl RCB out for 155. In response, crucial knocks from Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler and Rahul Tewatia helped GT get past RCB's score.
Match details
Summary of RCB's innings
Virat Kohli handed RCB a fast start but the joy was short-lived as Mohammed Siraj provided the first breakthrough by dismissing Jacob Bethell for just five runs. Right after Bethell's dismissal, Kohli too perished, leaving RCB reeling at 35/2. A 44-run stand between Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar helped resurrect RCB's innings. GT hit back with regular wickets and had RCB at 96/6. Padikkal and Romario Shepherd added 30 runs before venkatesh Iyer and Bhuvneshwar Kumar put on 29 runs to help RCB surpass 150.
GT bowling
How did the GT bowlers fare?
Siraj finished with 1/38 from his 4 overs. Kagiso Rabada was costly and clocked 1/44 from 4 overs. Jason Holder proved his mettle with figures worth 2/29 from 4 overs. Arshad was the star performer. He bowled 3.2 overs and managed 3/22. Ace spinner Rashid Khan was superb and claimed 2/19 from his four overs.
Kohli
Kohli becomes second Indian with 450 T20 sixes
Kohli completed 450 sixes in T20 cricket. The talismanic batter attained the milestone with his 1st maximum of the clash. Kohli managed a 13-ball 28 against GT. He hit one six and five fours. According to ESPNcricinfo, Kohli became the second Indian to complete 450 sixes in T20 cricket. He joined his compatriot Rohit Sharma, who has a record 555 sixes to his name. Across 406 T20 innings, Kohli has amassed 13,922 runs at an average of 42.18.
Duel
Rabada dismisses Kohli for 5th time in T20s
Kohli hit Rabada for 5 successive fours and derived a single off the final ball in the 2nd over. However, it was Rabada who dismissed Kohli in the 4th over. Rashid Khan completed the catch. Across 16 T20 innings, Kohli owns 111 runs from 79 balls off Rabada's bowling. He averages 22.20 with his strike rate being 140.50. Rabada has dismissed Kohli 5 times. As many as 4 of the 5 dismissals have come in the IPL from 9 innings.
Duel (2)
Rashid Khan has dismissed Devdutt Padikkal 5 times (IPL)
GT spinner Rashid dismissed an in-form Padikkal, who scored a 24-ball 40 for RCB. He smashed 5 fours and 2 sixes. Rashid has now dismissed Padikkal 5 times across 8 innings in the IPL. The southpaw has scored 38 runs from 41 balls with his strike rate being 92.68. Padikkal averages 7.6 against Rashid. He has faced 17 dot balls besides managing to hit two sixes and a four.
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Rashid gets to 168 IPL wickets
With a spell worth 2/19 from 4 overs, Rashid raced to 168 IPL wickets from 145 matches at 24.04. Versus RCB, the Afghanistan spinner has claimed 19 wickets from 18 matches at 30.52. Overall in T20s, he has picked 712 wickets.
Arshad
GT's Arshad Khan floors RCB with three-fer
With this spell worth 3/22 from 3.2 overs, Arshad has now claimed a total of 17 wickets from 21 IPL matches at 34.47. His economy rate is on the higher side (11.12). As per ESPNcricinfo, the bowler has picked 34 T20 wickets from 32 games at 22.2. His economy rate is above 9.
Venkatesh
Venkatesh Iyer surpasses 1,500 runs in IPL
Venkatesh Iyer completed 1,500 runs in the IPL. Venkatesh reached the landmark with his third run of the match. Venkatesh was sent in at number 9 by RCB, who were reeling at 126/7. He ended up scoring a 15-ball 12. Former KKR ace Venkatesh now owns 1,509 IPL runs in 64 matches. Across 58 innings, the left-handed dasher averages 30.18 and has a strike rate of 137.30. His tally includes a ton and 12 half-centuries.
Chase
How did GT's chase pan out?
Gill handed GT a breezy start, scoring bulk of the runs. In the final ball of the 3rd over, fellow opener Sai Sudharsan got dismissed by Bhuvneshwar. Jos Buttler came in and added 15 runs alongside Gill, who too perished inside the powerplay. Buttler then dominated a 35-run stand alongside Washington Sundar. After Buttler's wicket, RCB hit back and had GT reeling at 111/5. However, Tewatia showed his calmness and scored an unbeaten 17-ball 27 to guide his side home.
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Summary of the RCB bowlers
From his 4 overs, Bhuvneshwar claimed 3/28. Josh Hazlewood was costly. He went for 56 runs from 4 overs. Spinner Suyash Sharma bowled 3.5 overs and managed 1/44. Romario Shepherd was decent and finished with 2/30.
Gill
Gill completes 50 sixes at Narendra Modi Stadium
Gill slammed a fiery 43 against RCB. He faced 18 balls and struck at 238.69. Gill went on to hit three sixes and four fours. With his 2nd six of the contest, Gill became the only batter with 50 IPL sixes at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. Notably, Gill has played for both GT and Kolkata Knight Riders at this venue. Across 28 IPL games here, he owns 1,300 runs at 52 (SR: 163.52). He owns 51 sixes and 123 fours.
Bhuvnseshwar
Bhuvneshwar becomes second Indian with 350 T20 wickets
Star pacer Bhuvneshwar became the second Indian bowler to take 350 wickets in T20 cricket. He attained the feat with his first wicket of the match. Bhuvneshwar is only behind spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in terms of T20 wickets among Indians. The latter tops the tally with 391 wickets. Bhuvneshwar now owns 352 wickets in 325 T20 matches. He has an average of 24.51. His tally includes five fifers and five four-fers.
Do you know?
Purple Cap holder in IPL 2026
With this spell of 3/28 from 4 overs against GT, Bhuvneshwar now owns 17 wickets this season from 9 matches at an average of 15.52. His economy rate is 7.54. Bhuvneshwar has amassed the most wickets this season.
Buttler
Jos Buttler completes 200 sixes in IPL
Veteran Englishman Buttler completed 200 sixes in the league. He got to the landmark with his 4th six. His 39-run knock was laced with four sixes and two fours. Playing his 130th IPL match (128 innings), Buttler got to 200 sixes. He also owns 440 fours. The former Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter has amassed 4,429 runs at 39.9. Buttler became the 12th batter in IPL history to smoke 200-plus sixes. He is also the 6th foreign player.
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A look at the points table
RCB missed the chance to go top of the table. They remain 2nd after 9 matches (W6 L3). On the other hand, GT gained two massive points but remain 5th. They have 10 points from 9 games (W5 L4).
GT
Key feats attained by the Titans
As per Cricbuzz, GT claimed their 26th win during a run-chase in the league from 39 matches (L13). They own a 66.67 winning percentage while chasing in the IPL. The 25 balls left in GT's innings in this successful chase is their 2nd-best tally. Their best tally is 37 balls remaining against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023.