Royal Challengers Bangalore are the defending champions of the IPL for the first time and are burdened with a huge amount of anticipation. RCB will play their final home match against Gujarat Titans at Chinnaswamy on Friday, which will be crucial to maintain their momentum in the competition.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore team ended their long wait of 18 seasons and won their first title in the history of the competition. RCB started the season strongly and looked like defending champions, especially their batsmen, who looked completely confident.
After putting up big scores on the board, Royal Challengers won their first two matches and then lost the third match to Rajasthan Royals; They then managed to get two more wins before suffering their second defeat of the season to Delhi Capitals. They are currently in third place and their target is to take second place with another win.
RCB’s performance so far in IPL 2026
Royal Challengers Bangalore won their first title under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar, and their first season as defending champions of the competition. They won the first game in some spectacular fashion as they crushed the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers while chasing a mammoth target of 202, which they achieved with 26 balls to spare.
The next match was followed by another encounter against Chennai Super Kings at Chinnaswamy. Despite their poor record against Chennai at Chinnaswamy, they scored a mammoth score of 250 and secured a huge win by 43 runs.
RCB faced their biggest nightmare with a defeat against Rajasthan Royals where the batsmen, barring the captain, struggled and the bowlers were battered by the in-form Vaibhav Suryavanshi. He returned to form after a tough match against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede.
Coming back to Chinnaswamy, they won their next match against Lucknow Super Giants and then finished their next game with a loss after a tough competition between RCB bowlers and DC finishers.
Why would losing tonight be a big blow for RCB?
RCB probably isn’t worried about the matches it has lost so far; However, one thing that might bother them is that they have lost one of their home matches in Chinnaswamy. Their unbeaten streak on this ground was broken by Delhi Capitals.
The RCB vs GT match is the last home ground match for the Royal Challengers, as after this game, the remaining seven matches will be played at away venues and a neutral venue in Raipur, which has been made the second home ground for the Challengers.
If they lose this match at Chinnaswamy, Royal Challengers will not get home ground advantage in the upcoming games, as this win can give them an edge as it gives them 10 points; However, a defeat will break them into pieces, as it could change the entire trajectory of RCB’s campaign.
Matchups that will decide this game: Kohli vs Rashid, Bhuvneshwar vs Gill
Both the teams have many big names who can help them change the game at any stage of the game. The bowling lineups of both sides include some very experienced heads, while the Titans’ batting line-up is more fragile than Bengaluru’s.
One of the first such matches is the match between Virat Kohli and Gujarat’s experienced spinner Rashid Khan. Although Kohli had already done a lot of damage before bringing Rashid into the attack, the veteran batsman may get stuck on the pitch against the wily Rashid Khan.
On the other hand, Shubman Gill is leading the scoreboard for the Titans and is their most valuable batsman. He will be up against RCB’s most experienced seamer, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has taken the most wickets for the franchise this season and has regained his ability to bowl with the new ball.
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