Maybe not among the clash of titans, but it is going to be an interesting contest between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Gujarat Titans (GT) tonight at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Former Team India all-rounder Irfan Pathan is looking forward to seeing Virat Kohli one-on-one against the ace spinner Rashid Khan.
The Gujarat Titans appear as one of the most lethal bowling sides in the ongoing Indian Premier League season. Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, and Mohammed Siraj have created a formidable pace attack for the Shubman Gill-led side. The pace bowling unit is supported by the experience of the Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan.
Virat Kohli vs Rashid Khan: A rivalry within a match
Through a YouTube video, Irfan Pathan said that the Virat Kohli vs Rashid Khan moment could be a vital moment of the match. Both of the players are key figures of their respective teams. Between Virat and Rashid, one will stand up on the big occasion of the match tonight.
“I can’t wait to see this matchup. Rashid Khan has looked in good form. Virat Kohli’s strike rate is 125 against Rashid Khan. Virat Kohli will be set when he comes to bowl. I want to see if Virat Kohli plays aggressively against him. I also want to see if Gujarat will use Rashid Khan’s one over in the powerplay,” Irfan Pathan said in his YouTube video.
Rashid Khan dismissed Kohli twice in the T20
According to stats, in the T20 contest, the RCB stalwart played 69 deliveries off Rashid Khan to score 86 runs for a strike rate of 124.6 for an average of 43.00. The top order batters have smashed the bowler for six 4s and two 6s. In those 69 balls, the Afghanistan spinner dismissed the batter twice.
Along with putting pressure on Virat Kohli using the spin wizard, Irfan Pathan suggests Shubman Gill to preserve at least one of Khan or Tim David.
It is worth mentioning that Rashid has 6 wickets in as many matches in IPL 2026 for an economy rate of 7.70
“I would want Gujarat to keep at least one over of Rashid Khan for Tim David. Having one or two overs against Tim David can be a good matchup for Gujarat. Tim David has been in very good form and can finish the game. Doesn’t matter how the pitch is; keeping Rashid’s one over will be very important for Gujarat”, the former cricketer opined.
Pathan urges the Gujarat Titans to support Kumar Kushagra
Pathan mentioned the 21-year-old batting prodigy of the Gujarat Titans, Kumar Kushagra, as well in his video. The former cricketer, now a cricket expert, observed that the young batter was in good touch in the previous match. Kushagra has played one match for GT in IPL 2026, where he scored only 18.
“It will be very important to use Kumar Kushagra’s batting. He looked in very good form in the match that he played. He has also batted at No. 3 for Jharkhand and scored runs. His batting looks very compact. Please play Kumar Kushagra,” Pathan opined.
