Watch: Virat Kohli smashes Kagiso Rabada for 4, 4, 6, 4 in the IPL 2026 Final — King sets the tone for RCB

Virat Kohli announced his presence in the IPL 2026 Final in the most emphatic way possible — smashing Kagiso Rabada for 4, 4, 6, 4 in a single over to give Royal Challengers Bengaluru a blazing start against Gujarat Titans.

RCB started their IPL 2026 final chase against Gujarat Titans for 156 in a dream fashion. Former Inidan captian and Venkatesh Iyer opened the attack from the first ball and went to 55/0 after four overs. Kohli spearheaded the charge with 28 off 10 balls, and Iyer was excellent from the other end as RCB gave chase and soon got on top of it. 

19 runs off one Rabada over — How Virat Kohli took apart GT's biggest weapon in the IPL 2026 Final

The fourth over bowled by Kagiso Rabada turned into a nightmare for Gujarat Titans. On 3.1, Kohli started the over with a classy boundary through fine leg. He followed it up on 3.2 with another four to deep square leg. Rabada then pitched the ball up on 3.3, but Kohli used his wrists brilliantly and flicked it over mid-wicket for a massive six. The shot brought up RCB’s 50-run mark and left the crowd on its feet.

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Kohli continued the attack on 3.4, pulling a short delivery for another boundary. On 3.5, he picked up a single to keep the scoreboard moving before Venkatesh Iyer faced the final ball of the over on 3.6. Virat Kohli scored 19 runs against the South African pacer, collecting from five deliveries. The over completely shifted the momentum towards RCB and once again showed why Kohli remains one of the biggest match-winners in IPL history.

GT's total wasn't enough — How RCB came out swinging from ball one in their IPL 2026 Final chase

Gujarat Titans found it difficult to score freely after being asked to bat first by RCB in the IPL 2026 final. Captain Shubman Gill scored 10, while Jos Buttler made 19 before both were dismissed early. Sai Sudharsan (12) and Nishant Sindhu (20) tried to rebuild the innings, but regular wickets kept GT under pressure throughout the match. Washington Sundar played a fighting knock of 50 not out from 37 balls, while Arshad Khan and Rashid Khan added some late runs to help Gujarat finish on 155/8 in 20 overs.

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RCB’s bowlers were fantastic in the end to keep Titans in check. Rasikh Salam was the pick of the bowlers with brilliant figures of 3/27 off his four overs. He was well supported by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/29) and Josh Hazlewood (2/37), who took key wickets in two vital spells. Krunal Pandya also bowled a tight line in the hardcore middle overs, picking 1/23 as helping RCB restrict GT to a below-par total in the final.

Chasing 156, RCB showed positive intent from the very first over. Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer attacked the GT bowlers and raced to 55/0 in just four overs. While Iyer provided quick support from one end, Kohli took charge against Kagiso Rabada and completely shifted the momentum towards Bengaluru. Their explosive start ensured RCB stayed ahead of the required rate from the beginning of the chase.

As of writing: RCB 84/2 in 7.5 overs (Virat Kohli 38*, Rajat Patidar 11*) vs GT 155/8.