In the 42nd game of the IPL 2026, Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by four wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The Titans’ bowling was the main architect of the victory. Arshad Khan had a career-best IPL performance, ending on 3/22 after slicing through the RCB tail and middle order. Rashid Khan complimented him superbly, applying the squeeze with outstanding figures of 2/19 at an economy of 4.75. Jason Holder also contributed significantly, not just with his two wickets, but also with three outstanding catches, including a magnificent diving effort to remove Rajat Patidar. Their combined efforts limited the high-scoring RCB team to an uninspiring 8.02 runs per over.
GT chased a modest 156 with a “no-holds-barred” mentality. Skipper Shubman Gill (43) set the tone with a blazing knock, at a strike rate of 238.88, stealing the game away from RCB in the powerplay. Jos Buttler also had a quick-fire outing to ensure the run rate was never a concern. Although GT lost wickets in quick succession throughout the middle overs, falling to 111/5, the aggressive base laid by the openers enabled Rahul Tewatia (27*) and Rashid Khan (7) to conclude the game calmly in the 16th over.
The RCB’s fearsome batting order eventually faltered, getting bowled out for 155, the first time they had been wiped out this season. Virat Kohli (28) got off to a flying start, including five straight boundaries against Kagiso Rabada. However, following his removal, the innings lost direction. Devdutt Padikkal (40) was the only middle-order warrior, hitting a calm knock, but a lack of assistance from Rajat Patidar (19) and Tim David (9) meant the champions fell at least 30 runs short of a competitive score on Ahmedabad’s red soil wicket.
Despite defending a modest total, Bhuvneshwar Kumar demonstrated why he is still a master of his profession, bowling a vintage spell of 3/28. He bullied the GT top order, removing all three of their main batters, Sai Sudharsan, Gill, and Buttler, to keep RCB in contention. However, he had inconsistent help from the other end. While Romario Shepherd took two wickets, the pace of the GT chase kept the RCB bowlers behind the curve.
With this win, GT now have 10 points and are fifth in the standings.
Scorecard:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 155/10, Overs 19.2, Devdutt Padikkal 40, Arshad Khan 3/22
Gujarat Titans: 158/6, Overs 15.5, Shubman Gill 43, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3/28
