The M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru turned into a cauldron of noise as the 34th match played this Thursday. IPL 2026 pitted Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against visitation Gujarat Titans (GT). On April 24, 2026, under the twinkling floodlights, the cricketing world witnessed a masterclass in timing and elegance. While RCB won the toss and elected to field hoping to take advantage of the early evening conditions, they rushed to the southpaw on a mission to redefine their season.
Sai Sudharsan lights up IPL 2026 with a magnificent century against RCB
After a hot start to the 2026 campaign, going into the match under a cloud of scrutiny, Sai Sudharsan chose the biggest stage to silence critics. From the opening, Sudharsan looked like the man to shut down Gujarat Titans’ innings with a mix of classic drives and modern-day power shots. Next to the captain Shubman GillSudharsan joined the RCB bowling attack, bringing up 50 in just 33 deliveries.
The crescendo of his innings came on the 15th. On the fourth ball of the 14th over, Sudharsan faced off Suyash Sharma with 99 runs to his name. With his trademark cool head, he drove a single length ball through cover point to wild cheers in the GT dugout and a standing ovation from the Bengaluru crowd. The milestone marked Sudharsan’s third IPL century, achieved in just 57 balls, studded with 11 fours and 5 powerful sixes. His ability to accelerate from his half-century to his hundred mark in just 24 balls proved why he is considered the future of India’s top order. Eventually he was caught and beaten Josh Hazlewoodhe single-handedly changed the momentum of the game, leaving the field with a full 100 runs and a strike rate of 172.41.
RCB contain Gujarat Titans to a competitive first innings total
Despite the Sudharsan Storm, the RCB bowling unit showed remarkable resilience in the death overs to ensure the target remained within chasing distance. At 128/0 in the 13th over, Gujarat Titans looked set to cross the 230-run mark. However, Suyash provided the much-needed breakthrough by dismissing Gill for 32.
RCB pacers led by veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0/31) and disciplined Josh Hazlewood (1/40), used slower balls and wide yorkers to stifle the scoring rate. After Sudharsan departed at 160/2, the Titans struggled to find the boundary in succession. If Buttler He contributed a quick 25 off 16 balls before falling to Bhuvneshwar, but that was the last innings. Jason HolderA smashing 23 off just 10 balls at a strike rate of 230.00 took GT past the psychological 200-run barrier.
GT finished at 205/3 in just 20 overs with the visitors more likely to win as per the live analytics. while Krunal Pandya (0/50) and Romario Shepherd (0/17 in 1) proved costly, a collective effort in the last five overs where GT managed 50 runs but lost two key wickets kept the contest alive. All eyes turned to him as the teams went into halftime Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidarhas historically been tasked with chasing 10.3 runs on a surface that favors the Braves.
Here’s how the fans reacted:
What a hundred 💯 Sai Sudharsan
3rd century 😎 Mr. Consistent Sai Su#RCBvsGT pic.twitter.com/k3QDZ20l2k— Ajay Kudecha (@ajay_kudecha) April 24, 2026
🔥 Brilliant 💯 from Sai Sudharsan#RCBvGT #SaiSudharsan #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/BTmvGKpqEE
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) April 24, 2026
A pure display of classic batting extended to the T20 format. Sai Sudharsan is very pleasing to the eye. pic.twitter.com/V78FG5umAe
— 𝐊𝐨𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭!𝟎𝐧_👑🚩 (@bholination) April 24, 2026
THIRD IPL HUNDRED FOR Sai Sudharsan 🔥
What a sensational strike against the reigning champions! 💥
He got the killer Hazlewood-Bhuvi combo with absolute class 😮🔥
One of the best hundreds of IPL 2026 — pure dominance and composure 👑 pic.twitter.com/0khxAGjKdz— Puneet Awasthi (@PuneetA77622712) April 24, 2026
🫡 BRILLIANT MEETINGS END 🔥
Sai Sudharsan departs after a brilliant stroke full of grace, control and impact.
High performance that makes all the difference! 🏏✨ pic.twitter.com/4HSHsOtSYE
— Faruk🐦 (@uf2151593) April 24, 2026
HUNDRED SAI SUDHARSAN VS RCB.
– A scintillating century by Sai at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, he was brilliant tonight. 👏 pic.twitter.com/onV8jShBJ5
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 24, 2026
Century for Sai Sudharsan, one of the underrated talents. No 3 in IPL career so far. #RCBvGT #SaiSudharsan #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/Bps7XPSpQ1
— worldwatch (@CuriousMind614) April 24, 2026
Tell them that King Sai Sudharsa is back. so be very afraid pic.twitter.com/Av1pb7OC8W
— Parmar’ (@saisuszn) April 24, 2026
Sai Sudharsan celebrates 100* after scoring a century (57) #GTvRCB pic.twitter.com/dxezbuDzlu
— DJAY (@djaywalebabu) April 24, 2026
57-BALL T20 CENTURY FOR SAI SUDHARSAN AGAINST RCB. pic.twitter.com/0b3WOTEDPE
— Muasharaf Parvaiz (@MuasharafP) April 24, 2026
Sai Sudharsan alone owns RCB Bowlers pic.twitter.com/g1uMKlY8ZQ
— Sarcasm (@sarcastic_us) April 24, 2026
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