RCB and the luxury of another option

Gujarat Titans spent most of IPL 2026 leaning on a familiar formula. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan would score the runs at the top. Jos Buttler would arrive at No. 3 and score some more. By the end of the season, the trio had combined for nearly 2,000 runs and carried their team to within touching distance of the trophy.

On Sunday night though, that formula was under strain. Gill and Sudharsan were back in the pavilion before the Powerplay had ended, and it wasn't Buttler walking in at No. 3. Part of that was down to circumstance. Bhuvneshwar Kumar still had three overs left and his record against Buttler is well documented. But holding back the wicketkeeper-batter also felt like an attempt to redistribute responsibility that had sat largely with the top three all season.