NEW DELHI: Drop Virat Kohli at your own peril – that warning was effectively delivered to Gujarat Titans when they put down the star batter in the very first over of their IPL 2026 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. Kohli was given a reprieve when Washington Sundar dropped him off Mohammed Siraj in the opening over of the RCB innings, and the missed chance proved costly.Kohli went on to smash 81 off 44 balls, powering RCB to a five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans.Speaking on Star Sports, legendary Sunil Gavaskar analysed the key moment in RCB’s successful chase, pointing to the early drop of Kohli as the decisive turning point.“That dropped catch of Virat Kohli off Siraj’s bowling definitely cost Gujarat Titans a lot,” Gavaskar said.“We all know he is not just known as a king. He is known as a chase master as well,” Gavaskar remarked.“You drop him on the first ball, then he will definitely make you pay. That is exactly what he did,” he said.He further underlined Kohli’s reputation as one of the finest chasers in the game. “Chasing down huge totals with ease has been Virat’s trademark batting style throughout his career,” Gavaskar said.The former India captain also suggested that GT may regret the missed opportunity given the match conditions. “At one point… the ball was gripping a bit. It would not have been that easy once the ball got a little older,” he observed.
Concluding his analysis, Gavaskar lauded Kohli’s consistency and class under pressure. “This man is one of the greatest in the game. He made it look easy,” he said.Gavaskar also praised Devdutt Padikkal for his improvement in IPL 2026, particularly his expanded range of scoring options that has strengthened RCB’s top order.“Devdutt Padikkal played an excellent innings. Virat Kohli rightly pointed out after the match that Padikkal has been hitting some very clean cricketing shots. Earlier, he was seen as an offside player. His main scoring areas were cover and mid-off. He used to struggle on the on-side. But now he has overcome that limitation.”Gavaskar added, “He is hitting sixes and boundaries behind square as well. This adds to RCB’s batting strength. They have Devdutt at number three and Captain Rajat Patidar at number four. Both can hit sixes from the first ball. That is making a big difference for RCB right now.”Chasing 206, RCB suffered an early setback as GT pacer Mohammed Siraj dismissed opener Jacob Bethell, reducing them to 26/1 in three overs. However, the top order responded strongly. Kohli led the charge with a fluent 81 off 44 balls, while Padikkal supported him superbly with a rapid 55 off 27 deliveries.The duo ensured the required rate stayed under control, stitching together a 115-run stand in just 59 balls.After their dismissals in quick succession, the match tightened in the middle overs as Rashid Khan and Manav Suthar picked up crucial wickets, leaving RCB at 175/5 after 16 overs.RCB then wobbled briefly with the dismissals of Rajat Patidar (8) and Jitesh Sharma (10), leaving 31 needed off the final four overs. But Krunal Pandya (unbeaten 23 off 12) stepped up under pressure to turn the game.Krunal took on the GT attack, smashing 15 runs in the 18th over to swing momentum decisively RCB’s way, while Tim David chipped in with an unbeaten 10 off nine balls.He finished the chase in the 19th over, guiding a short ball from Jason Holder to deep square leg for a single as RCB reached 206/5 in 18.5 overs, sealing a five-wicket win and two crucial points.With the victory, RCB climbed to second place in the IPL 2026 table with 10 points from seven matches, registering five wins and two losses.
