Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar provided his team with an early breakthrough by removing Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill for a low score in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala on Tuesday, May 26. The dismissal occurred on the opening delivery of the fourth over of GT’s chase.
Bhuvneshwar delivered a length ball that jagged back into the right-hander. Gill attempted an ambitious across-the-line shot but missed it completely, allowing the ball to crash into the middle stump and end his innings. You can watch the video here:
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The 26-year-old had a forgettable outing, managing just two runs from seven deliveries before being dismissed. His wicket reduced Gujarat Titans to 27/2 in 3.1 overs. Chasing a daunting target of 255, GT found themselves in serious trouble as they lost five wickets inside the powerplay.
Rasikh Salam starred with two wickets for RCB, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, and Jacob Duffy chipped in with one scalp each. At the time of writing, Gujarat were reeling at 51/5 after six overs, with Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia yet to get off the mark at the crease.
Rajat Patidar Leads RCB Charge with Unbeaten 93 off 33 Balls
After being asked to bat first, RCB got off to a brisk start through openers Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli, who put together 21 runs in just 12 deliveries before Iyer departed for a quickfire 19 off seven balls. Kohli then joined forces with Devdutt Padikkal, and the duo stitched a rapid 72-run partnership from 38 balls for the second wicket.
Kohli scored 43 from 25 deliveries, while Padikkal chipped in with 30 off 19, before both fell to Jason Holder in the ninth over. Following their dismissals, captain Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya steadied the innings while maintaining the scoring rate.
The pair added 95 runs from 45 balls for the fourth wicket, with Krunal making 43 off 28 deliveries. Patidar, meanwhile, brought up a superb half-century and remained unbeaten on a blistering 93 from just 33 balls, striking five fours and nine sixes to propel Bengaluru to a formidable total of 254/5 in their 20 overs.
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