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On Sunday, May 31, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on 2022 champions Gujarat Titans at the latter's home ground, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
On the big day, former RCB skipper Virat Kohli will be the focal point. And so will former RCB pacer Mohammed Siraj. Siraj spent 7 seasons at RCB before joining the Gujarat Titans in 2025.
Since then, both players have been crucial to their respective teams' chances. Kohli was RCB's highest run-getter when they won the title last year, and remains the team's highest run-getter in IPL 2026 as well.
Mohammed Siraj, on the other hand, has formed an effective pace battery with Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder that has put GT in the final. On Sunday, the contest between Kohli and Siraj could decide the fate of both teams early.
Virat Kohli's IPL record vs GT
While the memories of Rajat Patidar's unbeaten 93 from just 33 balls in Qualifier 1 will be fresh in GT's mind, they would be wary of Virat Kohli as well. In 9 matches, Kohli has scored 503 runs at an average of 72 and a strike rate of 154; he also has 4 fifties and a century against the franchise.
Even this year, Kohli scored an incredible 81 at Bengaluru to chase down 206 and overshadow Sai Sudharsan's century. In Ahmedabad, Kohli hit five fours in a single over against Kagiso Rabada. Kohli also played his part with 43 in the first Qualifier at Dharamsala. Kohli's 503 runs also make him the highest run-scorer against GT in IPL history.
Mohammed Siraj's IPL record vs RCB
Mohammed Siraj started his IPL career at the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2017, but did not face RCB that year. In 2025, Siraj stepped up to face RCB for the first time in his IPL career. As fate would have it, that game was scheduled at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Siraj got the wickets of Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, and Liam Livingstone and was awarded the Player of the Match award for his bowling figures of 3/19 from four overs. RCB did not face GT again that year. This year, Siraj has been kept relatively quiet by the Royal Challengers.
In 3 matches, he has taken just two wickets, including being thrashed for 46 runs in 3 overs in the first Qualifier. Siraj's overall record against RCB reads 5 wickets in 4 matches at an average of 25.60 and an economy rate of 9.14.
Virat Kohli vs Mohammed Siraj in the IPL
This year, Virat Kohli has gotten out to Jason Holder twice and Kagiso Rabada once. But those dismissals have come after Kohli did some irreversible damage.
Mohammed Siraj, though, has kept Kohli mostly quiet. The two haven't faced each other as much, but Virat Kohli has more or less come out on top, as Siraj has never dismissed him in these brief contests.
Overall, Kohli's record against Siraj reads 26 runs in 16 balls without ever getting out. That is a strike rate of 162.5.
Despite playing 5 matches against each other, Kohli has not gotten to bat against Siraj much. This year, for instance, Siraj bowled just 5, 5, and 4 balls to Kohli in Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Dharamsala, respectively.
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