Virat Kohli’s commanding innings helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru secure a five-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in their final league match of the Indian Premier League season at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. Kohli’s 81-run contribution, coming largely after being dropped off the first ball he faced, proved pivotal in chasing down a challenging total of 206.

Electing to bat first, Gujarat Titans were propelled by left-handed opener Sai Sudharsan, who scored a fluent century, his third in the IPL, anchoring the innings as the Titans posted 205 for three. Sudharsan was well supported by captain Shubman Gill, who scored 32, but it was the opener’s aggressive stroke play that set the foundation for the competitive total. The planned onslaught was tempered in the latter overs by Royal Challengers’ pace bowling duo Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, along with spinner Rasikh Salman, who helped restrict Gujarat’s acceleration.

During the chase, Kohli was reprieved early when Washington Sundar dropped him at mid-wicket off Mohammed Siraj’s first delivery. Taking advantage of the reprieve, Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal formed a dominant 115-run partnership for the second wicket, crafting a fluent response characterized more by timing and finesse than brute power. Padikkal was the first to reach fifty off 20 balls before falling to Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s legspinner. Kohli reached his half-century after 30 deliveries and went on to overtake Abhishek Sharma as the IPL’s leading run-scorer this season, securing the Orange Cap with a tally of 328 runs.

Bengaluru faced an early disruption when Englishman Jacob Bethell, playing his first game of the season due to Phil Salt’s injury, was dismissed in the third over. Nevertheless, the Kohli-Padikkal partnership steadied the innings, and after Padikkal's dismissal, Kohli continued his brisk scoring before being bowled by Jason Holder. A brief wicket cluster followed, but Australian Tim David and Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya guided the team home with composure.

Despite Gujarat’s strong total and Sudharsan’s standout century, their bowlers fell short at defending the target against a well-paced Bengaluru chase. Kohli’s innings, marked by calculated aggression and excellent stroke play, alongside Padikkal’s supporting half-century, ensured the hosts collected crucial points with a final score of 206 for 5. The victory highlighted Bengaluru’s resilience and solidified Kohli’s status as the tournament’s highest run-scorer to date.

Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 206 for 5 (Virat Kohli 81, Devdutt Padikkal 55, Rashid Khan 2-49) beat Gujarat Titans 205 for 3 (Sai Sudharsan 100, Shubman Gill 32, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1-31) by five wickets.