Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Every bowler relishes the chance to dismiss Virat Kohli, and his wicket remains one of the most prized in cricket. During the IPL 2026 clash between Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Kagiso Rabada struck early, removing Kohli in just his second over.Rabada had endured a tough start, conceding five consecutive boundaries to Kohli in his opening over. But the South African pacer bounced back in style when he returned to bowl again.The breakthrough triggered an intense celebration. Rabada delivered a sharp, short ball around middle and leg. Kohli stepped down the track, attempting to play across the line, but only managed a top edge. Rashid Khan was well-placed at mid-wicket and completed a simple catch.After claiming the big wicket, Rabada gave Kohli a steely stare as the batter made his way back to the pavilion.RCB were eventually bowled out for 155 in 19.2 overs, struggling to build partnerships against a disciplined Gujarat Titans bowling attack led by Rabada and Mohammed Siraj.Despite being second on the points table, RCB kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Siraj (1/38) and Rabada (1/44) reduced them to 35/2 in the fourth over, a position from which they failed to recover.Left-arm pacer Arshad Khan (3/22) picked up key wickets, including skipper Rajat Patidar (19), Krunal Pandya (4) and Venkatesh Iyer (12). Jason Holder (2/29) and Rashid Khan (2/19) also chipped in with two wickets each.In reply, captain Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler played crucial knocks to guide Gujarat Titans to a four-wicket win. Chasing 155, GT reached 158/6 in 15.5 overs.Although RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/28) impressed with the ball, Gill’s aggressive 43 off 18 balls and Buttler’s quickfire 39 off 19 powered Gujarat to their fifth win of the season, taking their tally to 10 points.
