NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli looked in ominous touch once again as he tore into the Gujarat Titans bowling attack during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 clash at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday.The RCB stalwart hammered 43 off just 25 deliveries before his entertaining knock was ended by Jason Holder. Holder bowled a short-of-a-length delivery around off stump and Kohli attempted to pull it away. However, the RCB batter got an inside edge and the ball went on to shatter the stumps.Kohli looked visibly disappointed after the dismissal. He remained at the crease for a few seconds in disbelief, glanced at his bat and then slowly made his way back to the pavilion.Holder celebrated wildly after claiming the prized wicket, knowing the importance of dismissing Kohli in a high-pressure knockout clash.The cameras also turned towards Anushka Sharma in the stands. Anushka looked stunned and dejected as she covered her mouth with both hands following Kohli’s dismissal.Despite falling short of a half-century, Kohli crossed the 600-run mark in IPL 2026 during his innings.With that achievement, Kohli became the first batter in IPL history to score 600 or more runs in four successive seasons.Earlier, Gujarat Titans won the toss and opted to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1.GT made one change to their playing XI by bringing in Kulwant Khejroliya for Arshad Khan, while RCB recalled Jacob Duffy in place of Romario Shepherd.As per the IPL format, the top two teams after the league stage qualify for Qualifier 1. The winner advances directly to the final, while the losing side gets another opportunity through Qualifier 2.
