IPL 2026: Rabada, Holder sparkle as GT bowl out RCB for 155

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Titans pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada's victory over Virat Kohli in a much-anticipated duel was a fair reflection of Gujarat Titans' disciplined bowling effort while bundling out Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a modest 155 in their IPL match here on Thursday.

Returning to the venue where they had lifted the title last season, RCB were cruising at a run rate in excess of 10 with Kohli leading the charge, smashing Rabada for 21 runs in his opening over which included five fours in a row.

But skipper Shubman Gill persisted with his strike bowler, a call that paid off handsomely.

Rabada (1/38) struck back to remove Kohli for a blazing 28 off 13 balls, triggering a collapse as RCB lost wickets in a cluster through the middle phase.

Left-arm pacer Arshad Khan wrapped the tail and returned with 3/22.

From a strong 71/2 after seven overs, RCB slipped to 96/6 in 10.3 overs, losing Rajat Patidar (19), Jitesh Sharma (1), Tim David (9) and Krunal Pandya (4).

However, RCB stuck to their all-out attacking template despite the slide, something that seemed to have denied them 20-30 extra runs and they were bowled out in 19.2 overs.

Amid the collapse, Devdutt Padikkal looked set to anchor the innings, with Romario Shepherd playing second fiddle.

But the ever-reliable Rashid Khan produced a peach to clean up Devdutt for 40 (24 balls), a skidding delivery that cramped him for room and led to a chop-on. The wily Afghan returned with splendid figures of 2/19.

From GT's perspective, all-rounder Jason Holder (2/29) was everywhere -- picking up key wickets, including that of Shepherd, and grabbing three sharp catches.

Holder first pulled off a brilliant running catch near the deep square boundary to dismiss Patidar, holding on to the skier despite almost colliding with Rabada.

He then dismissed Jitesh before completing two smart takes at short midwicket to remove David and Krunal, capping an outstanding all-round effort.

Earlier, put in to bat, RCB lost two quick wickets after Kohli’s early blitz, with Mohammed Siraj (1/38) providing the first breakthrough by dismissing opener Jacob Bethell (5).

The Kohli-Rabada contest lived up to its billing early on, with Kohli smashing him for five successive boundaries.

He began with a pull through midwicket, followed by a punch through mid-off, a crisp square drive, and a stylish cut through backward point.

Kohli then hammered Siraj for a flat six over mid-on to race to 28 off just 10 balls.

But Rabada had the final say. Tightening his line, the South African forced Kohli into a mistimed pull when he charged down and Rashid completed a good catch.