RCB Faces Batting Collapse Against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026
RCB's Struggles Against Gujarat Titans
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 30: In a thrilling IPL 2026 encounter, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered a significant batting collapse after a solid start against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Thursday.
Despite a promising opening partnership spearheaded by Virat Kohli, RCB could not capitalize on their early momentum, ultimately being bowled out for 155 runs in just 19.2 overs, thanks to a disciplined bowling performance from the Titans.
After being asked to bat first, the defending champions began strongly. RCB's opener, Virat Kohli, aggressively targeted GT's Kagiso Rabada, smashing five consecutive boundaries in the second over, propelling the score to 27 without losing a wicket.
However, the tide turned in the next over when Mohammed Siraj dismissed Jacob Bethell for a mere 5 runs.
Shortly after, in the fourth over, Rabada struck back, sending Kohli back to the pavilion for 28 runs off just 13 balls, which included five fours and a six, leaving RCB at 39/2.
At the end of the power play, the defending champions had reached 59/2.
In the eighth over, Arshad Khan made another breakthrough by taking out RCB captain Rajat Patidar, who managed 19 runs off 15 balls, including two fours and a six.
The pressure mounted as Jason Holder dismissed Jitesh Sharma for just 1 run. RCB then lost another quick wicket when leg-spinner Rashid Khan sent Tim David back for 9 runs. By the end of the 10th over, RCB found themselves in a precarious position at 91/5.
The collapse continued as Arshad Khan claimed Krunal Pandya for just four runs, marking RCB's sixth wicket.
By the 13th over, Romario Shepherd and Devdutt Padikkal had managed to stabilize the innings, bringing the score to 113/6.
However, just as their partnership began to flourish, Rashid Khan struck again in the 14th over, clean bowling Padikkal for a well-played 40 runs off 24 balls, which included five fours and two sixes.
Jason Holder then took another wicket, dismissing Shepherd for 17 runs, which featured two sixes. RCB was left reeling at 132/8 after 15 overs.
In the final overs, Venkatesh Iyer scored 12 runs off 15 balls, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar remained not out on 15, helping RCB reach a total of 155 before being bowled out in 19.2 overs.
For the Titans, Mohammed Siraj (1/38) and Kagiso Rabada (1/44) each took a wicket. Jason Holder (2/29) and Rashid Khan (2/19) claimed two wickets each, while Arshad Khan excelled with a three-wicket haul, finishing with impressive figures of 3/22.