Virat Kohli was named Player of the Match for his 81-run knock in RCB's win over GT.
GT had posted 205/3 in 20 overs thanks to Sai Sudharsan’s 100 with 11 fours and 5 sixes and support by Jos Buttler (25), Jason Holder (23*), and Washington Sundar (19*). In response, Virat Kohli made 81, and Devdutt Padikkal made 55, and their 115-run partnership led RCB to a comfortable win by 5 wickets.
Kohli received a reprieve when Washington Sundar dropped him off Mohammed Siraj in the first over of the RCB innings, but the wasted opportunity proved costly.
Speaking on Star Sports, the great Sunil Gavaskar analyzed the pivotal moment in RCB's successful chase, citing Kohli's early dismissal as the decisive turning point.
"That dropped catch of Virat Kohli off Siraj's bowling definitely cost the Gujarat Titans a lot. We all know he is not just known as a king. He is known as a chase master as well. If you drop him on the first ball, then he will definitely make you pay. That is exactly what he did,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
He further underlined Kohli’s reputation as one of the finest chasers in the game. The former captain of India added that, considering the circumstances of the match, GT might lament the lost chance.
"Chasing down huge totals with ease has been Virat's trademark batting style throughout his career. At one point... the ball was gripping a bit. It would not have been that easy once the ball got a little older," Gavaskar stated.
Gavaskar was praiseful of Kohli’s consistency and class under pressure.
"This man is one of the greatest in the game. He made it look easy," he said.
Devdutt Padikkal's development in IPL 2026 was also commended by Gavaskar, especially his increased variety of scoring possibilities that have bolstered 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.
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,” Gavaskar said.
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.