IPL 2026: RCB coach praises Virat Kohli, defends team amid Gujarat Titans defeat

Royal Challengers Bengaluru put up a spirited fight with the ball but went down by four wickets to Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.

After a posting 155 with the bat, RCB's bowling unit kept the contest alive, pushing Gujarat Titans deep into the chase with disciplined spells and sustained pressure through the middle overs.

Reflecting on the game, Head Coach Andy Flower said, "That's not the result we came here for, and the truth is we weren't at our best with the bat. "

Director of Cricket Mo Bobat echoed the sentiment, adding, "It's a disappointing result, not the result we wanted coming here, and not quite the performance we wanted either. You don't win too many games with scores like that, so the batting group will know

that we are capable of better. "

Dinesh Karthik praised Virat Kohli's blazing start of 28 runs in just 13 balls, but highlighted the team's inability to build partnerships. He said, "Virat started wonderfully, vintage Virat, especially that over against Rabada. But we lost wickets in a cluster. Every time we had an opportunity to get ahead and build a partnership, we lost a wicket, and that eventually caught up with us. "

Despite the setback, the RCB camp drew strong positives from the effort in the field.

Flower added, "What I did like was how the guys went about it in the field. "

Karthik further said, "What was commendable to see was the attitude and the bowling coming together. Like a champion team would, we gave them jitters through the middle. If a couple of things had gone our way, who knows how it would have gone. I'm very proud of the effort and the attitude the boys showed. "

Bobat also credited the bowling unit, especially Romario Shephard who picked up 2 wickets, saying, "The pleasing and encouraging thing is that the bowlers put in a good shift again today. It was good to see Romario find rhythm too. We made them fight, and that's important in games like this. "

Looking ahead, Bobat added, "You're not going to win every game, but in games where you come out second best, you have to fight for the win, and I think we did that today. We'll take a few days, come back sharper and focus on the next game. "