![Krunal Pandya and Virat Kohli [Source: X]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1779810292657_KrunalPandyaandViratKohli.jpg?type=hq)
Krunal Pandya and Virat Kohli [Source: X]
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 on May 26 at Mullanpur has been an exciting half with the bat for the defending champions. As RCB fought their way after the early dismissal of opener Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal had their way against GT bowlers.
Although Kohli had to walk off in the ninth over after a short delivery from Jason Holder bamboozled him, he didn’t fade away from the charm of the game. Virat Kohli was later found applauding excitedly to a mindful stroke Krunal Pandya played during his innings.
Krunal Pandya Comes In At No. 5 To Save RCB’s Innings
RCB didn’t have a dream start to their Qualifier 1 clash. Iyer, though he started off on an aggressive note, was dismissed quickly, with all the responsibility falling on the shoulders of Kohli and Devdutt on the crease.
The duo, without complaining, cruised comfortably inside the powerplay. 76 runs were put up on the board at the loss of 1 wicket, but Kohli failed to stay long enough to see another half-century.
Padikkal too followed soon, and in no time, Krunal Pandya and RCB captain Rajat Patidar were on the crease. The duo started off firing instantly, which saw a lot of weight pulling done by the all-rounder Pandya as well.
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Krunal Pandya’s Brilliance Gets Kohli’s Appreciation
During the 14th over as Prasidh Krishna was bowling, he served a full delivery outside off, and Krunal Pandya responded with elegance, leaning back slightly before guiding it late past backward point and short third for a classy boundary.
The shot had an immediate reaction from both Pandya and Virat Kohli. Krunal tapped on his own helmet, indicating ‘the cleverness’ as he celebrated his own shot. Meanwhile, during the replays, it was the RCB star who caught all the attention.
Virat Kohli, who was sitting at the dugout beside Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Phil Salt immediately lauded the shot with an enthusiastic reaction. Kohli clapped loudly as his jaw dropped in awe of the shot that Pandya played.
RCB Continue To Dominate Without Pandya
Krunal Pandya couldn’t continue for long, though. He contributed a total of 43 runs from 28 deliveries as he was dismissed by Kagiso Rabada, which brought an end to the massive 95-run partnership between Pandya and Rajat Patidar.
Patidar Onslaught On Point!
Nevertheless, Patidar continued to pull the trigger and scored his half-century from just 21 balls. In fact, the RCB vs GT clash became more intense since the tussle of power kept shifting.
The powerplays were dominated by RCB batters while the middle overs were controlled by the Gujarat Titans. As Patidar and Tim David continued the flurry of runs, it looked like a massive total was on the cards for RCB in Qualifier 1.
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This will also be an important game for both the Virat Kohli-starrer team and Shubman Gill’s men, as it is also a ticket to the final game, where the winner will directly play the IPL 2026 final on May 31 against the winner of Qualifier 2 on May 29.
Follow RCB vs GT Live Updates for the latest IPL 2026 scorecard for Qualifer 1
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