What Went Wrong for RCB Today? | IPL 2026 Analysis
wrong for RCB?
RCB arrived at Narendra Modi Stadium sitting pretty in second place with the best NRR in the competition. They left with a gut-punch defeat — bundled out for 155 on a flat pitch, then watching Gujarat Titans smash the total in under 16 overs. Here’s what went wrong.
Virat Kohli (28 off 13) looked threatening from ball one — five fours, a six, a strike rate of 215. But his dismissal in the 4th over triggered a top-order implosion that RCB never recovered from. Bethell had already gone for 5 in the third over, and new batter Devdutt Padikkal took time to get going as wickets tumbled around him.
Devdutt Padikkal top-scored with 40 off 24 and deserves enormous credit for keeping RCB in the game at all. The problem? No one stayed with him long enough to build a meaningful partnership. Patidar (19), Jitesh (1), Tim David (9) — all gone in a flash.
Josh Hazlewood conceded 56 runs from just 4 overs — at an economy of 14.00. On a flat track in Ahmedabad, GT’s batters targeted him relentlessly. Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler both took him apart. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the standout with 3/28, but one man can’t carry a bowling unit.
The Narendra Modi Stadium is one of the most batter-friendly venues on the IPL circuit. A flat surface, short square boundaries, and clear skies made 155 a highly chaseable target. RCB needed at least 180+ to be competitive. The batting unit has the tools — today was a collective failure to execute.