Despite the Royal Challengers Bengaluru losing their match against the Gujarat Titans, the game at the Narendra Modi Stadium was a spectacle.
The stadium was buzzing with excitement, as nearly 100,000 fans attended specifically to watch RCB legend Virat Kohli.
While the Ahmedabad venue is GT's home ground, Kohli's fan-following turned the stadium into a sea of 'red' and 'gold'. Wherever the 37-year-old has played away from RCB's Bengaluru home, crowds have been on their feet to chant and cheer for him. Kohli entered the game against Gujarat, 92 runs away from the 9,000-run mark in the IPL. The anticipation of him breaking a record drew thousands of fans to the venue.
No other player can draw such huge crowds as Kohli, who is the most popular cricketer in the world. The veteran opener is in exceptional form in IPL 2026, having scored 379 runs in nine matches at an average of 54.14 and a strike rate of 165.50. For Ahmedabad fans, this game was significant as it marked the first time they had seen Kohli since he lifted the 2025 IPL trophy at that venue almost a year ago.
The match at the Narendra Modi Stadium drew a massive crowd, with the Gujarat Titans' official fan page reporting a total attendance of 98,697 fans. It therefore became the most attended match in IPL 2026, overtaking the previous record of around 44,000 fans, who had attended the Titans' home game against the Rajasthan Royals. While this was the highest attendance for a league match, it was not the largest-ever attendance for an IPL game, as the 2022 final, at the same venue, was attended by 101,566 fans.
The crowd that turned up to watch Kohli play did not return home disappointed, with the RCB star scoring a brisk 28 runs off 13 balls. After his dismissal, RCB posted a modest first-innings total of 155 runs, with Devdutt Padikkal scoring 40 off 24 balls. GT went on to inflict RCB's third defeat of IPL 2026, successfully chasing the total in only 15.5 overs, with Shubman Gill contributing a top score of 43 runs.
Interestingly, the match was also marketed as a battle between the 'King' (Kohli) and the 'Prince' (Gill). This meeting of two of India's biggest cricketing stars was marked by Kohli showcasing his trademark aggression when he gave the young GT captain a dramatic send-off.
The controversial dismissal of Rajat Patidar during RCB's IPL 2026 defeat to GT left the entire Bengaluru camp, including Virat Kohli, furious. RCB went on to lose the match by four wickets, after being bowled out for a mere 155 runs by the close of the first innings.
Patidar was caught out in the eighth over, after he mistimed a pull shot, with the ball hitting the top edge of his bat to fly out towards Jason Holder at deep backward square leg. The West Indian, however, saw Kagiso Rabada charging in from another end, and had to rush to take a difficult low catch. However, replays suggested that Holder might have grounded the ball in the follow-through of the catch.
The RCB skipper was deemed out amidst doubts over the legality of the catch, with umpires clearing it after a review. The ruling did not go down well with Kohli, and he remained agitated throughout the incident. The former RCB captain was observed animatedly questioning a match official on the sidelines and making gestures toward the on-field umpires, clearly expressing his dissatisfaction.
Kohli and Holder were captured having an intense on-field chat, while the former was batting in the first innings. Rabada claimed Kohli's wicket and then gave him an angry send-off, which came after the veteran batter had struck him for five boundaries in the previous over.
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