AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli shared a hug after RCB defeated GT to reach IPL 2026 final. Image Credit: X/@IPL
RCB vs GT, Qualifier 1: Royal Challengers, the reigning champions, in Tuesday’s IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala, Bengaluru defeated Gujarat Titans by 92 runs thanks to a brutal all-around performance, guaranteeing a second straight trip to the competition final. Beyond the overwhelming victory, the night’s high point was an emotional exchange between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. De Villiers who played with Kohli in RCB, shared a few moments and a hug with his former teammate. The former South African is currently working in IPL 2026 as a commentator.
Kohli was spotted giving de Villiers a passionate hug close to the boundary line just after the last wicket was taken. On social media, the heartwarming exchange between two of RCB’s greatest legends went viral right away. During their time together at Bengaluru, Kohli and de Villiers had one of the strongest partnerships in IPL history. In 76 innings the two batted together, they put up 3,123 runs at an average of 43.98. Their highest partnership of 229 came against the Gujarat Lions. Meanwhile, the two right-handed batters shared 10 century stands for RCB.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru came one step closer to becoming only the third team to successfully defend their title. Rajat Patidar led from the front as he captained RCB to yet another final. Shubman Gill’s GT was completely outplayed as the Titans succumbed to a defeat by 92 runs.
Patidar’s 93 off 33 deliveries in the first innings powered RCB to a total of 254 runs. It was the highest total recorded in an IPL playoff match. Meanwhile, chasing a huge score of 255 runs, the Gujarat Titans never got going. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Rasikh Salam, and Krunal Pandya were right on the money against the 2022 champions in the second innings. Rahul Tewatia scored 68, but his knock went in vain as the Titans were bowled out for 162 runs in the final over.
While the Royal Challengers are in the IPL 2026 final, the Gujarat Titans have a second shot at making it to the final. The Shubman Gill-led side will face the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals will clash in the IPL 2026 Eliminator tonight at the Mullanpur Stadium in New Chandigarh.
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
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