Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar on Sunday said Virat Kohli is "used to doing great things" and his presence in the dressing room was invaluable after they won their second successive Indian Premier League title. The 37-year-old Kohli anchored Bengaluru's chase of 156 against Gujarat Titans in the final with an unbeaten 75 to steer the team home with two overs to spare in Ahmedabad. Bengaluru and Kohli, who finished the season with 675 runs including one ton and five half-centuries, have dominated the T20 tournament since they won their first IPL crown at the 18th attempt last year. "If I speak about Virat Kohli, I don't have words to explain him. He is used to doing great things," Patidar told reporters. "He is a great player, everyone knows him - the way he bats. We all have an opportunity to learn from him on and off the field. We spend lot of time with him and try to learn whatever he says, regarding cricket or anything else....
International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah and former Indian cricket team skipper Sourav Ganguly were spotted watching the IPL 2026 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans from the stands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. It came as a surprise to many people that the duo was not in the VIP area and was seated with the fans during the match. High-profile attendees are not a surprise during IPL matches, but it is not common for them to be seated among the general crowd. Social media users were left impressed by Ganguly and Shah ditching 'VIP culture'.
A superb recovery led by Cameron Green's 79 off 55 balls was undone by a dramatic late-order collapse as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were bowled out for 180 in their 20 overs against Gujarat Titans (GT).
ICC Chairman Jay Shah and Legendary Sourav Ganguly at Ahmedabad Watching IPL in the middle of Crowd. pic.twitter.com/Ca6JN8YoD0
— Sonu Jaat • Cricket (@TheSonuJaat) April 17, 2026
Despite Green's fine knock, laced with seven fours and four sixes, KKR lost their last six wickets for just 33 runs in the final phase of the innings. Kagiso Rabada was the pick of the bowlers for GT, returning figures of 3-33, while Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna played vital roles in stifling the KKR batters, though Ashok Sharma and Rashid Khan were expensive.
Jay Shah and Sourav Ganguly enjoying the IPL atmosphere with fans
— Cric Score (@TheClearPost) April 17, 2026
Cricket, fans, and legends all in one photo. pic.twitter.com/KHUJ9fpOpj
Pushed into bowling first after KKR elected to bat, Siraj struck in the very first over as skipper Ajinkya Rahane skewed an outswinger to mid-on and fell for a golden duck. Rabada then doubled the misery in the second over by having Angkrish Raghuvanshi nick behind to the keeper. When Tim Seifert (12) slapped a short delivery from Siraj straight to point, KKR were reeling at 32/3 in four overs.
KKR's recovery was initially sparked by Rovman Powell, who hit a cameo of 27 off 20 balls, including two massive sixes, shifting the pressure back onto the GT bowlers. His 55-run stand with Green, who timed the ball really well, steadied the ship before Ashok Sharma deceived him with a 107kph slower ball.
Green, who was struggling on 27 off 29 balls at one stage, suddenly found his groove in the 12th over by launching Rashid for a six and a four. He took a particular liking to the spinners, scoring 33 off just 18 balls against them. His 60-run partnership off 23 balls with Anukul Roy saw KKR gallop from 87/4 to 139/4 in the space of three overs.
However, the dismissal of Roy (9) by Prasidh Krishna in the 15th over triggered a sensational slide. Rinku Singh's poor run continued as he fell to Rabada, while Ramandeep Singh (17) holed out after a brief flurry of boundaries.
In a bizarre final stretch, Green, who had reached 75 off 44 balls, became a virtual spectator at the non-striker's end as wickets tumbled, with the seam-bowling all-rounder facing only two of them during that sequence.
Green managed only four runs off his final 11 deliveries before being caught behind off the last ball of the innings off Rashid. From a position where 200 looked certain, KKR finished with 180 - a total that looks below par on a pitch favouring good strokeplay.
(With IANS inputs)
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/1qas6SB
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