New Delhi: 15-20 short runs in the death overs can often come back to haunt teams, and Gujarat Titans experienced exactly that on Friday when Royal Challengers Bengaluru asked them to bat first in their IPL 2026 match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.Despite a fast start and a record opening stand between Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, GT’s 205/3 eventually felt subpar once defending champions RCB started their chase.Much of the credit goes to three overs from Suyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, who choked the Giants at the death.Three magic amountsAt the end of 16 innings, the Gujarat Titans were well placed at 170/2, built on a brilliant 128-run opening partnership between Sudharsan and Gill.
With Jos Buttler and Washington Sundar at the forefront and firepower like Jason Holder, Shah Rukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan, GT looked set for a total of over 230.But the end never arrived.Suyash Sharma bowled a brilliant 17th over, giving away just four runs and not allowing Buttler or Sundar to break free.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar followed with a clinical 18th over, hitting Buttler’s crucial wicket while conceding only five runs.
The pressure was already building, and GT was now scrambling.Then Josh Hazlewood struck out another big hit in the 19th, giving up just eight runs and further closing the door on GT’s late surge.In the end, Gujarat Titans made 18 no-limit deliveries at a crucial stage, when they were expected to explode.What had previously looked like a total of over 230 was pulled down to 205, thanks to RCB’s disciplined execution at the death.Even skipper Shubman Gill later admitted how significant those overs were.“I think from 16 to 19, those three overs, we couldn’t get any boundaries and we didn’t get as many runs as we would have liked. I think those three overs were very crucial for us. I mean, at the end of the power play, I think we were in a good position. It was all about taking wickets in the middle, which I think we couldn’t do right after the power play,” Gill said in the post-match presentation.Kohli escapes an early lifelineRCB’s chase could have been derailed initially, but Gujarat Titans missed a golden opportunity.
Virat Kohli, for nothing, was dropped off Mohammed Siraj when Washington Sundar put a chance straight to mid-wicket after an errant flick.This mistake proved to be very costly.Kohli made GT pay in full, smashing 81 off 44 balls, including eight fours and four sixes, at a strike rate of 184.09. He also faced Jason Holder with successive sixes during the knock.The Kohli-Padikkal show seals itDevdutt Padikkal and Kohli then put together a 115-run partnership to decide the match for the second wicket, which saw RCB firmly in control of the chase.Padikkal’s 55 and Kohli’s 81 ensured that RCB comfortably chased down 206 in 18.5 overs, climbing to second place on the points table with 10 points.
