Virat Kohli described the Chinnaswamy Stadium as a “special place to play cricket” as defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru ended its home campaign on a high after a controversy-ridden build-up to the season because of last year’s tragic stampede.
RCB on Friday rode on an explosive 115-run second-wicket stand between Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal to overhaul Gujarat Titans’ challenging 206-run target in 18.5 overs with five wickets in hand, finishing its home leg with four wins from five games.
RCB’s two remaining ‘home’ games will be played in Raipur due to prior arrangements.
“Firstly, we were quite happy we were able to play five games here and the fans get to see the team again,” said Kohli, who made a 44-ball 81 and was adjudged the player-of-the-match.
The Chinnaswamy was cleared to host seven IPL 2026 matches, including the final, after a successful safety review by government agencies days before the tournament.
READ | Kohli, Padikkal fifties trump Sudharsan century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru wins again
The venue is next scheduled to host one playoff and the summit clash in May.
“We were happy to play here, it’s a special place to play cricket. It’s been brilliant to play at home and win four games. Hopefully, we’ll be able to come back and play here again later in the season,” said Kohli in the post-match presentation.
Kohli was also effusive in his praise for Devdutt’s 27-ball 55, calling it the “difference” in the first half of the chase.
“To be honest, we had to assess the wicket early on because they (GT) have a quality bowling attack and chasing 200 in the Chinnaswamy, we were just one partnership away.
“This is the second time Dev (Padikkal) has come and done this. You never see him slogging the ball yet he’s playing so freely. His innings was the difference in the first half and then I was trying to stay in the game so he won’t feel the pressure,” said Kohli, who is now the Orange Cap holder with 328 runs from seven innings.
Put in to bat, Gujarat Titans had a strong 128-run opening stand in 12.4 overs, but its middle order failed to maintain momentum as RCB pulled things back, denying it an additional 10-20 runs.
“Even in our bowling innings, we did well to pull things back. We were looking at 230-235 at one stage,” said Kohli.
On the pitch, he added: “Best batting conditions we’ve had this season. So if we stayed in the game long enough it would get tougher and tougher for bowlers.
“Dev was going great guns and the idea was to keep the pressure on the bowlers. There was intent, clarity and feedback from the other and we didn’t have any doubts in the partnership and that’s what worked for us.”
We had our moments: Gill
GT skipper Shubman Gill rued the dropped chance of Kohli on zero by Washington Sundar off Mohammed Siraj.
“When a batsman gets dropped on nought, it’s always tough on the fielder but it’s important how you come back into the game,” said Gill.
“We had our moments but we were not consistently able to hit the length balls. And I think they batted beautifully in the middle overs.”
Gill also pointed out GT’s middle-overs slowdown as a key factor.
“Definitely, I think from 16th to 19th overs, we couldn’t get any boundaries and couldn’t get as many runs as we would have liked. Those were crucial overs for us.
“At the end of the powerplay, we were in a good position and it was about taking wickets in the middle overs and were not able to after the powerplay got over.”
Published on Apr 25, 2026
![GT vs MI IPL 2026: Tilak’s maiden century helps Mumbai Indians snap four game losing streak Tilak Varma found his form when it mattered most, producing a scintillating maiden IPL century to power Mumbai Indians to a commanding 99-run victory over Gujarat Titans on Monday.After a string of underwhelming outings, Tilak began cautiously before shifting gears dramatically, finishing unbeaten on 101 off 45 balls (8×4, 7×6).Much to the delight of a 40,000-strong crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium, he went on a rampage in the final six overs, smashing 82 runs off just 23 deliveries. Mumbai Indians plundered 96 runs in that phase to post a formidable 199 for five and seize complete control of the contest.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58JRdBRAbIk[/embed]Tilak led the charge with ruthless precision, hammering 26 runs in an over from Ashok Sharma before dismantling Prasidh Krishna with calculated aggression.He reached his century with a boundary off the final ball of the innings, his animated celebration reflecting both relief and redemption. The knock also equalled the joint-fastest hundred for MI, matching Sanath Jayasuriya.In response, Gujarat Titans faltered early and never recovered. Jasprit Bumrah struck with the very first ball, removing Sai Sudharsan, and the middle order failed to deliver.With Jos Buttler and Shubman Gill falling cheaply, the chase lost direction as wickets fell at regular intervals. The Titans were eventually bowled out for 100, unable to mount any sustained resistance.ALSO READ:IPL 2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad hosts Delhi Capitals in clash of aggression and pragmatismIt was a dominant show from the Mumbai bowlers. Mitchell Santner marked his return with two key wickets, removing Washington Sundar and Glenn Phillips, while Impact substitute Ashwani Kumar kept the pressure on with four wickets. With the bowlers maintaining discipline, the Titans’ fragile middle-order was exposed once again.Earlier, Mumbai’s innings began shakily. Debutant Danish Malewar lasted just four deliveries, while Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav also fell early, leaving it at 45 for three in the Powerplay. Kagiso Rabada remained the biggest threat, consistently breaching the 150kph mark .However, the recovery was orchestrated by Naman Dhir, whose composed 45 laid the platform in a 52-run stand with Tilak Varma. Tilak then took complete control, while skipper Hardik Pandya provided stability in an 81-run stand, ensuring MI returned to winning ways after four successive defeats.Published on Apr 20, 2026 #IPL #Tilaks #maiden #century #helps #Mumbai #Indians #snap #game #losing #streak](https://i3.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/a3c5kk/article70886003.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/VIS_0109.JPG?ssl=1 "GT vs MI IPL 2026: Tilak’s maiden century helps Mumbai Indians snap four game losing streak Tilak Varma found his form when it mattered most, producing a scintillating maiden IPL century to power Mumbai Indians to a commanding 99-run victory over Gujarat Titans on Monday.After a string of underwhelming outings, Tilak began cautiously before shifting gears dramatically, finishing unbeaten on 101 off 45 balls (8×4, 7×6).Much to the delight of a 40,000-strong crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium, he went on a rampage in the final six overs, smashing 82 runs off just 23 deliveries. Mumbai Indians plundered 96 runs in that phase to post a formidable 199 for five and seize complete control of the contest.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58JRdBRAbIk[/embed]Tilak led the charge with ruthless precision, hammering 26 runs in an over from Ashok Sharma before dismantling Prasidh Krishna with calculated aggression.He reached his century with a boundary off the final ball of the innings, his animated celebration reflecting both relief and redemption. The knock also equalled the joint-fastest hundred for MI, matching Sanath Jayasuriya.In response, Gujarat Titans faltered early and never recovered. Jasprit Bumrah struck with the very first ball, removing Sai Sudharsan, and the middle order failed to deliver.With Jos Buttler and Shubman Gill falling cheaply, the chase lost direction as wickets fell at regular intervals. The Titans were eventually bowled out for 100, unable to mount any sustained resistance.ALSO READ:IPL 2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad hosts Delhi Capitals in clash of aggression and pragmatismIt was a dominant show from the Mumbai bowlers. Mitchell Santner marked his return with two key wickets, removing Washington Sundar and Glenn Phillips, while Impact substitute Ashwani Kumar kept the pressure on with four wickets. With the bowlers maintaining discipline, the Titans’ fragile middle-order was exposed once again.Earlier, Mumbai’s innings began shakily. Debutant Danish Malewar lasted just four deliveries, while Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav also fell early, leaving it at 45 for three in the Powerplay. Kagiso Rabada remained the biggest threat, consistently breaching the 150kph mark .However, the recovery was orchestrated by Naman Dhir, whose composed 45 laid the platform in a 52-run stand with Tilak Varma. Tilak then took complete control, while skipper Hardik Pandya provided stability in an 81-run stand, ensuring MI returned to winning ways after four successive defeats.Published on Apr 20, 2026 #IPL #Tilaks #maiden #century #helps #Mumbai #Indians #snap #game #losing #streak")
