In a match that delivered everything a home crowd at Bengaluru could ask for, Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down Gujarat Titans' imposing 205/3 with 7 balls to spare, winning by 5 wickets in Match 34 of IPL 2026. The chase was built around a breathtaking 100-run second-wicket partnership between Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal — two RCB favourites who set the Chinnaswamy Stadium alight — with Kohli finishing on 81 off 44 balls to claim a richly deserved Player of the Match award. It was a vintage night at the venue where RCB's legend has been forged over two decades.

Gujarat Titans Innings: Sai Sudharsan's Masterful Century Sets the Stage

Gujarat Titans arrived at the Chinnaswamy with intent and executed a near-perfect batting innings from the first ball. The powerplay produced a flawless 57/0 — no wickets surrendered, boundaries flowing freely — as B Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill put on a composed and increasingly dangerous opening stand. Sudharsan was the dominant partner, racing to his fifty off just 33 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes while Gill provided the ideal foil.

At the first strategic timeout Gujarat were already 78/0 in 8 overs with Sudharsan on 59 and the partnership approaching triple figures. The 100-run first-wicket stand arrived in 59 balls — a partnership of remarkable quality and consistency — as Gujarat reached the 100-run mark in 9.5 overs.

Sudharsan then brought up his century off 57 balls — 11 fours and 5 sixes — a magnificent innings that combined elegance with power in equal measure. It was the kind of knock that draws comparisons with the very best T20 centuries of the season, and the Gujarat dugout celebrated it as such. At the second strategic timeout, Gujarat were 155/1 in 15 overs with Sudharsan on exactly 100 and Jos Buttler providing late acceleration with 17.

The middle and lower order — including Washington Sundar's 19 and Jason Holder's 23 — pushed Gujarat to 205/3 at the innings break. It was a total that looked formidable on the Chinnaswamy surface, and many felt it would be enough to snap RCB's home winning run.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Chase: Kohli and Padikkal Steal the Show

What followed in RCB's chase was the kind of cricket that makes the Chinnaswamy the most electric ground in Indian cricket. The powerplay produced 58/1 — one wicket, plenty of runs — and from the moment Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal came together, the chase took on a completely different complexion.

The two left-handers — both deeply beloved by the RCB faithful — constructed a partnership of pure brilliance. The stand reached 50 in just 26 balls and 100 in 47 balls, a partnership forged on timing, intent and the kind of chemistry that only comes from years of shared history at this club. Padikkal was extraordinary in his cameo, reaching his fifty off just 20 balls — 2 fours and 6 sixes — one of the most violent and beautiful half-centuries seen at the Chinnaswamy all season. Kohli was the more measured of the two but equally destructive, bringing up his fifty off 30 balls with 6 fours and 1 six.

RCB reached 100 in 8.6 overs and 150 in 13.3 overs, the required rate never climbing beyond control. The third strategic timeout found RCB at 173/5 in 15.3 overs — a few wickets had fallen in a middle-over wobble that temporarily tightened the game — but Kohli remained at the crease, composed and authoritative. He continued to bat through the pressure with the assurance of a player who has been in this situation a thousand times and relishes every one of them.

RCB crossed 200 in 18.2 overs and sealed the chase at 206/5 in 18.5 overs — victory by 5 wickets with 7 balls remaining. The Chinnaswamy roared. Kohli finished unbeaten on 81 off 44 balls, his innings the backbone of a historic chase at his home ground.

Key Moments

  • B Sai Sudharsan's 57-ball century — 11 fours, 5 sixes — was one of IPL 2026's finest batting performances.
  • The Gill-Sudharsan 100-run opening stand in 59 balls built a genuinely challenging total.
  • Devdutt Padikkal's 20-ball fifty — 6 sixes — was the most explosive cameo of the chase and effectively swung the match RCB's way.
  • Kohli and Padikkal's 100-run second-wicket stand in 47 balls was the partnership of the match.
  • Kohli's unbeaten 81 off 44 in a successful home chase was the defining performance of the night.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru continue their impressive IPL 2026 campaign with a fifth-consecutive home victory. Gujarat Titans, despite a brilliant batting performance from Sai Sudharsan, will rue the fact that 205 proved insufficient on a ground where RCB's batting depth is genuinely world-class.