In an attempt to go to the top of the IPL 2026 points table, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) face the Gujarat Titans (GT) on Thursday (April 30) night. The Narendra Modi Stadium that usually backs the home franchise will be gearing up to see the most beloved Indian superstar in Virat Kohli, who will be pumped himself to play where he ended his 18 years of wait. At this very venue, RCB beat the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to become the new IPL champions, the very first time in history.
Now, RCB return to Ahmedabad with much more momentum on their side. In fact, they have won four of their last five games. GT, meanwhile, need to win in order to have that strong command for the qualification chances. This is a reverse fixture after RCB chased down 205 with ease just a week ago at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Sai Sudharsan hammered a ton but Kohli’s 81 and Devdutt Padikkal’s 27-ball 55 nullified everything.
Virat Kohli has tremendous record vs GT
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have made a handful of changes, perhaps the second-lowest after PBKS in IPL 2026. A couple of those came because of injuries. One injury that has hampered their momentum is that of Phil Salt’s, who will miss the RCB vs GT encounter tonight. This means that his fellow countryman Jacob Bethell will continue to open with Kohli.
Bethell, who has played a couple of matches last in Salt’s absence, hasn’t really hit the ground running. He made 14 (10) against GT and 20 (11) against DC. He’d ended the T20 World Cup 2026, in imperious touch, with a stunning century against India in the semifinal. He’d like to shine before Salt finally comes back into the side.
Meanwhile, Kohli has taken his game to another level since 2023. He is a far more aggressive version of himself, hammering bowlers for fun. Especially against pace, Kohli’s been ruthless. He loves playing against Gujarat, averaging over 85 against them. Also, he averages over 52 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Virat Kohli vs GT & at Narendra Modi Stadium
| Category | vs GT | At Narendra Modi Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Matches | 7 | 7 |
| Innings | 7 | 7 |
| Runs | 432 | 262 |
| Average | 86.4 | 52.4 |
| Strike Rate | 149.49 | 129.71 |
| 50/100 | 4/1 | 2/0 |
| Highest Score | 101 | 70 |
Meanwhile, the rest of the lineup should remain same. Padikkal is having his greatest IPL season, having hammered 242 runs at an exceptional strike rate of 192.06. Patidar takes that to 210.6, and is almost unbowlable for the spinners. Tim David and Romario Shepherd add those muscles to make RCB’s batting look ruthless.
However, Jitesh Sharma would need to up his game. His keeping has been exceptional; his highest score of 23 in six innings is just a poor reflection of his talent. RCB would love to have him amongst runs.
The bowling group is where RCB stand apart. The duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood is perhaps the best in IPL so far. Both have taken a combined tally of 22 wickets at an outstanding economy of around 7.70. They literally kill the game within the powerplay. In the last game, Suyash Sharma did the unthinkable as well, bowling 20 dot deliveries in his 24-ball quota. Alongside Krunal Pandya, he has saved RCB’s spin unit, a department that had faced question marks before the season. Rasikh Salam, meanwhile, finishes the bowling bunch. He has six wickets at a superb economy of 8.58, performing the role of third pace option superbly.
RCB Bowlers at the Venue (All T20s)
| Bowler | Innings | Wickets | Best | Average | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 11 | 16 | 5/30 | 18.62 | 7.26 |
| Suyash Sharma | 5 | 7 | 3/20 | 16.42 | 6.38 |
| Josh Hazlewood | 2 | 3 | 2/23 | 25.67 | 9.63 |
Predicted RCB Playing XI vs GT
| S. No. | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | Opener |
| 2 | Jacob Bethell✈️ | Opener |
| 3 | Devdutt Padikkal | Top-order batter |
| 4 | Rajat Patidar (c) | Middle-order batter |
| 5 | Tim David✈️ | Middle-order batter |
| 6 | Jitesh Sharma (wk) | Wicketkeeper |
| 7 | Romario Shepherd✈️ | Batting all-rounder |
| 8 | Krunal Pandya | Bowling all-rounder |
| 9 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Right-arm fast bowler |
| 10 | Josh Hazlewood✈️ | Right-arm fast bowler |
| 11 | Rasikh Salam | Right-arm fast bowler |
| Impact Sub | Suyash Sharma | Leg spinner |
RCB IPL 2026 squad
Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Swapnil Singh, Philip Salt, Nuwan Thushara, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhinandan Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal
Cricket
'Lot of players...': BCCI stuck in limbo to take action against Riyan Parag for using vape in IPL 2026
