Virat Kohli escapes golden duck as Washington Sundar drops absolute sitter in RCB vs GT IPL 2026 mat

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opener Virat Kohli nearly fell for a golden duck in the IPL 2026 clash against Gujarat Titans (GT) at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, April 24. RCB were required to chase a 206-run target after having chosen to field first.

GT pacer Mohammed Siraj created a chance in the very first over with a pitched-up delivery on the stumps. Kohli played his trademark flick but could not keep the ball down. It went straight to Washington Sundar at mid-wicket, who put down a straightforward chance to give the star batter an early lifeline.

Meanwhile, GT opener Sai Sudharsan notched up his third IPL ton earlier in the match. The southpaw scored 100 off 58 balls. All-rounder Jason Holder chipped in with a late cameo, remaining unbeaten on 23 off 10. Gujarat finished 205/3 after 20 overs. Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up one wicket each.

Virat Kohli had a new opening partner in RCB vs GT IPL 2026 match

Virat Kohli walked out to open the batting with Jacob Bethell. The English batter featured in his first match of the season. He was added to the playing XI as Phil Salt missed out due to an injury.

However, Bethell could not cash in on the opportunity and was dismissed cheaply. The southpaw scored just 14 runs off 10 balls before perishing in the third over. He was caught by Shahrukh Khan at cover-point off Mohammed Siraj's bowling.

Many users are now following live updates and analysis of matches using the Bhalobet platform, where real-time information is easily available.

At the time of writing, RCB were 118/1 after 10 overs, with Devdutt Padikkal (52* off 21) and Virat Kohli (49* off 29) at the crease. The two batters have added 91 runs off 42 balls for the second wicket so far.

Defending champions RCB are currently placed third in the IPL 2026 points table with four wins from six games. GT, on the other hand, have three wins and as many defeats and are seventh.