Virat Kohli (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: Drop Virat Kohli at your own peril – that warning was effectively delivered to Gujarat Titans when they took on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first match of IPL 2026 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. Kohli was given a reprieve when Washington Sundar dropped him off Mohammed Siraj in the opener of RCB’s innings and the missed chance proved costly.Kohli went on to smash 81 off 44 balls to lead RCB to a five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans.Analyzing the pivotal moment of RCB’s successful chase in Star Sports, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar pointed to Kohli’s early fall as the turning point.“That dropped catch by Virat Kohli off the bowling of Siraj definitely cost Gujarat Titans a lot,” Gavaskar said.“We all know he is not only known as a king. He is also known as a master chaser,” Gavaskar noted.“You drop him on the first ball, then he will definitely make you pay. That’s exactly what he did,” he said.He further underlined Kohli’s reputation as one of the best catchers in the game. “Chasing huge totals with ease has been Virat’s signature batting style throughout his career,” Gavaskar said.The former India captain also hinted that GT may regret the missed opportunity given the conditions of the match. “At one point … he was clutching the ball a little bit. It wouldn’t have been as easy if the ball had gotten a little bit older,” he noted.
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