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Gujarat Titans suffered an early blow due to their bad luck as Sai Sudarshan got out in the most unorthodox fashion in such a crucial high-scoring game in the IPL 2026 Qualifiers.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have made a great start to IPL 2026 and have continued their stellar run in the playoffs as they continue to be on the verge of entering the IPL finals. Rajat Patidar and co. Will aim to win consecutive titles and become the third team to achieve this record in IPL history.
After a brilliant start from the RCB batsmen, skipper Rajat Patidar wreaked havoc in Dharamshala and took his team to a score that looked unattainable from all aspects of the game. However, after reaching this stage of the tournament, the Titans were not able to go down without a fight.
Sai Sudarshan’s bizarre dismissal ends GT’s hopes of a Qualifier 1 win
Chasing a mammoth target of 255 for the first time in the history of IPL playoffs, Orange Cap holder and GT’s best batsman of the season Sai Sudarshan got off to a good start with three fours off Jacob Duffy.
However, what happened on the third ball of Jacob Duffy’s second over will haunt Sai Sudarshan for a long time. Sudarshan tried to play a rasping cut short and edged the ball past point; However, the bat slipped from his hand and bounced onto the stumps and fell behind him.
It seemed like nothing was going in favor of Gujarat Titans as their best batsman of the season got out hit wicket in the most unorthodox fashion. Sai Sudarshan has become the second batsman in the history of IPL playoffs to be dismissed through hit wicket.
How unfortunate!
Possibly the only way to end Sai Sudarshan’s streak of five 50-plus scores
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– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 26 May 2026
Bhuvneshwar Kumar made a comeback in the powerplay
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the highest wicket-taker of the season not only for Royal Challengers Bangalore but in the entire tournament. This legendary fast bowler of India has been in excellent form this season and his role with the new ball has been special.
Bhuvneshwar dismissed the Gujarat Titans captain in the fourth over. Another absolute beauty from Swing Master. Easily on off, coming back into the off-stump, the huge run-chase pressure building on Gill forces him into double thoughts as the ball hits the woodwork.
This was Bhuvneshwar’s 25th wicket of the season, making him the leading wicket-taker this season as he looks for another Purple Cap finish in his already decorated career for the Royal Challengers.
Josh Hazlewood hits back to end Jos Buttler’s cameo and GT’s win hopes
While Josh Hazlewood carefully approached Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s matchup, he tried to add some momentum to a game that already looked like it was falling apart. Buttler targeted Josh Hazlewood with a few fours and a six, Hazlewood returned with a ball that pierced his defence.
With Buttler out on 29, the big three from the GT lineup were back in the dugout, and Gujarat Titans’ slightest hopes of making the playoffs were crushed by the RCB bowlers. The fall of wickets continued with two strikes from Rasikh Salam in the last over of the powerplay.
Also Read: Rajat Patidar and Royal Challengers Bangalore rewrite IPL playoff history in Qualifier 1 vs GT