IPL 2026: Gujarat Titans beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 4 wickets; Arshad Khan stars in clinical win

Gujarat Titans produced a clinical all-round performance to defeat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by four wickets in their IPL 2026 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.

After opting to bowl first, GT restricted RCB to 155 in 19.2 overs before chasing down the target comfortably in just 15.5 overs, keeping their playoff hopes alive.

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Put into bat, RCB started cautiously before Virat Kohli injected momentum with a counter-attacking burst. The veteran smashed Kagiso Rabada for five consecutive boundaries in a single over, racing to 28 off just 13 balls.

However, the early promise quickly faded. Mohammed Siraj struck first by dismissing Jacob Bethell cheaply before Rabada had Kohli caught by Rashid Khan at mid-wicket.

Devdutt Padikkal tried to keep the innings afloat with a fluent 40 off 24 balls, helping RCB reach 59/2 at the end of the powerplay.

The turning point came with the dismissal of skipper Rajat Patidar, who fell for 19 to Arshad Khan. The catch, taken low by Jason Holder, sparked controversy as replays appeared inconclusive, but the decision stood.

Also Read: IPL 2026: Virat Kohli questions umpires after controversial catch ends Rajat Patidar’s stay

That wicket triggered a collapse. RCB lost four wickets for just 17 runs, with Rashid Khan and Holder tightening the screws. Tim David, Jitesh Sharma and Krunal Pandya all fell cheaply as GT seized control.

Padikkal’s resistance ended when Rashid bowled him with a sharp delivery, while the lower order failed to recover. RCB were eventually bowled out for 155, with Arshad leading the charge with 3/22, supported by Rashid (2/19) and Holder (2/29).

Gill, Buttler set the tone in chase

Chasing 156, GT came out all guns blazing. Skipper Shubman Gill led from the front with a blistering 43 off 18 balls, while Jos Buttler smashed 39 off 19, propelling GT to 69/1 in the powerplay.

Despite a brief middle-order wobble triggered by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/28), GT never lost control of the chase.

With the game still within reach, impact player Rahul Tewatia played a composed unbeaten knock of 24 off 14 balls to guide the chase. Rashid Khan provided the finishing touch as GT sealed victory with 25 balls to spare.

The win boosts GT’s playoff push, lifting them closer to the top four, while RCB, despite remaining in the top two, will be concerned by another middle-order collapse.

Playing XIs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

Impact substitutes: Rasikh Dar, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Venkatesh Iyer

Gujarat Titans:
Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Manav Suthar

Impact substitutes: Rahul Tewatia, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Kulwant Khejroliya, Nishant Sindhu