18 balls, zero boundaries: Three overs that cost Gujarat Titans the match vs RCB
Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured a crucial victory over Gujarat Titans, chasing down 206 with an 18. 5-over finish. Virat Kohli's explosive 81, coupled with Devdutt Padikkal's 55, proved decisive after GT faltered in the death overs, failing to capitalize on a strong start.
A dropped catch early on proved costly for the Titans.
NEW DELHI: 15 to 20 runs short in the death overs can often come back to haunt teams, and Gujarat Titans experienced exactly that on Friday when they were asked to bat first by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL 2026 clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Despite a flying start and a record opening stand between Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, GT’s 205/3 eventually felt under par once the defending champions RCB began their chase. Much of the credit goes to three defining overs from Suyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, who choked the Titans at the death.
Three magical overs At the end of 16 overs, 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 crease and firepower like Jason Holder, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan still to come, GT looked set for a 230-plus total. But the finish never arrived.
Suyash Sharma bowled a superb 17th over, giving away just four runs and not allowing Buttler or Sundar to break free. — RCBTweets (@RCBTweets) Bhuvneshwar Kumar followed it up with a clinical 18th over, striking the crucial wicket of Buttler while conceding only five runs. The pressure had already been built, and GT were now scrambling.