A commanding century by Sai Sudharsan went in vain as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pulled off a five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans (GT) in a high-scoring Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Fridy.
Sudharsan’s hundred powered Gujarat Titans to 205/3, but RCB chased down the target with seven balls to spare, riding on strong knocks from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal.
After winning the toss, RCB captain Rajat Patidar opted to field first, but GT seized early control. Openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan laid a solid foundation, taking the side to 57/0 in the powerplay. Gill scored 32 off 24 balls, including two fours and a six, while Sudharsan dominated proceedings.
The pair brought up a 100-run opening stand in the 10th over. Gill was eventually dismissed for 32 by Suyash Sharma in the 13th over after hitting a six. Jos Buttler then joined Sudharsan at the crease.
Sudharsan reached his half-century in 33 balls and accelerated further to bring up a century in 58 deliveries, hitting 11 boundaries and five sixes. By the 15th over, GT had raced to 155/1, putting RCB’s bowlers under pressure.
Josh Hazlewood provided a breakthrough in the 16th over, dismissing Sudharsan after his hundred. Washington Sundar added momentum with a six off Hazlewood, but RCB clawed back in the death overs.
Suyash Sharma conceded just four runs in the 17th over, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar followed up with a tight spell, removing Buttler for 25. Hazlewood delivered a controlled 19th over, conceding only eight runs.
Jason Holder added late impetus, smashing two sixes and a boundary in the final over to take GT past the 200-run mark.
Chasing 206, RCB suffered an early setback as Mohammed Siraj dismissed Jacob Bethell, leaving them at 26/1 in three overs. However, the innings was steadied by Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal.
Kohli struck 81 off 44 balls, anchoring the chase with a composed innings, while Padikkal scored 55 off 27 balls. The duo added 115 runs in 59 balls, keeping the required rate under control.
RCB lost both set batters in quick succession, and the middle overs saw a brief collapse. Rashid Khan and Manav Suthar picked up key wickets, reducing RCB to 175/5 in 16 overs. Rajat Patidar (8) and Jitesh Sharma (10) failed to make an impact.
With 31 runs required off the last four overs, Krunal Pandya stepped up with an unbeaten 23 off 12 balls. He took 15 runs off the 18th over to shift momentum decisively in RCB’s favour. Tim David supported with an unbeaten 10 off nine deliveries.
Krunal sealed the win in the 19th over, guiding RCB to 206/5 in 18.5 overs with a single off Jason Holder.
The victory earned RCB two crucial points, taking them to 10 points from seven matches, with five wins and two losses, and moving them to second place in the IPL 2026 standings.
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