‘King’ Kohli vs ‘Prince’ Shubman as RCB host GT:Virat nears 9,000-run milestone; Gill vs Bhuvi in focus in Bengaluru

After facing a defeat to the Delhi Capitals (DC), the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to lock horns with the Gujarat Titans (GT) for their first encounter of this season on Friday, 24 April. The iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium is set to witness this battle as the match will begin at 7:30 PM IST, followed by the toss at 07:00 PM IST. Both teams will face each other for two times this season. RCB eye to spot themselves in the top four as struggling Gujarat will be desperate to get back on the winning track after a heavy defeat to the Mumbai Indians (MI) by 99 runs on Monday. Virat Kohli is 92 runs away from reaching the 9,000-run milestone. It will be interesting to watch, can in-form Bengaluru defeat desperate Gujarat with ease? Last year, in 2025, GT defeated RCB by 8 wickets with 13 balls to spare. Bengaluru chased down 170 runs within 17.5 overs on 25 April. Despite Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 73 runs off 39 balls, Kagiso Rabada was awarded the Player of the Match for his outstanding three-wicket haul in his four overs, conceding 19 runs with an economy of 4.75. Gujarat and Bengaluru’s second encounter has been scheduled on 30 April this season. RCB vs GT Match Details Match info: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans, match 34 Date Time: 23 April 2026, 7:30 PM IST (Toss at 7:00 PM) Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru How to watch: JioHotstar and Star Sports How to follow: Follow live coverage on the Bhaskar English App RCB vs GT, head-to-head record Bengaluru and Gujarat have met 6 times in the IPL, with both teams winning 3 matches each. RCB’s top score is 206, while GT’s best is 200. With balanced head-to-head results and strong scoring patterns, their contests are always exciting for fans. Kohli, Bhuvneshwar bring experience on-field for Bengaluru Virat Kohli is the current leading run-scorer of RCB. He has scored 247 runs in six matches with a strike rate of 157.32, including two half-centuries. ‘King’ Kohli is 92 runs away from reaching his 9,000 IPL runs. On the other hand, experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar has bagged 10 wickets, conceded runs with an economy of 8.33. Both Kohli and Bhuvi’s experiences will lead RCB to challenge Gill’s GT in Bengaluru. Gill, Prasidh are rays of hope for the struggling Gujarat Gujarat captain Shubman Gill is currently leading the orange cap leaderboard at top 3 spot this season and he is just behind Abhishek Sharma (SRH) and Heinrich Klaasen (SRH) with 265 runs. He has scored runs with a strike rate of 151.42 in five matches played so far. While, Prasidh Krishna has taken 12 wickets, conceding runs with an economy of 9.91. Virat Kohli boasts 160+ strike rate against Prasidh Krishna Veteran batter Virat Kohli had scored 34 runs, facing 56 balls with a strike rate of 164.70 against GT pacer Prasidh Krishna in 7 innings. On the other hand, Prasidh had dismissed Kohli three times in the tournament’s history. He had conceded runs with an economy of 9.88. Bhuvi doinant over Gill, deceived four times earlier Experienced and in-form pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar had always dominated Shubman Gill in the past. He had deceived Gujarat captain four times in the tournament history. He had conceded runs with an economy of 6.18. While, Gill had scored 103 runs, facing 64 balls with a strike rate of 103.12 in 11 innings. M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch report The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is known for high-scoring matches, and IPL 2026 has continued that trend, with most innings crossing 200 runs. With strong batting line-ups like the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Gujarat Titans, another run-filled contest is expected. RCB have played 120 matches at this venue, winning 72 and losing 44, while 4 games ended without a result. Bengaluru weather report On Friday evening, the weather is expected to be partly cloudy with a 15% chancesof rain. The temperature might hover between 24 and 28 degrees Celsius. The atmosphere is expected to be 63% humid with a dew point of 21 degrees in Bengaluru.