Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin The IPL 2026 couldn’t hold back from reacting to Virat Kohli’s dynamic celebrations during Qualifier 1, where defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru booked their place in the final by thrashing Gujarat Titans by 92 runs. RCB produced an all-out performance in Dharamsala, piling up a mammoth 254/5 before bowling out GT for just 162 in 19.3 overs. While captain Rajat Patidar made headlines by scoring an unbeaten 93 off 33 balls. Ashwin He was equally mesmerized by Kohli’s unparalleled intensity on the field. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin humorously pointed out that Kohli celebrated every wicket during Gujarat’s dramatic top-order collapse. “Did you see Virat’s celebration when the first four wickets fell? We have taken the first four wickets [It seemed like he had taken those four wickets]. Where do you get that intensity from? Everyone who is a wicket, who is celebrating like your wicket, man? (How can you celebrate every wicket like it’s your wicket?) I enjoyed it a lot.” Ashwin added that Kohli’s energy level was higher than usual, adding: “Wow is not human. [He is not human]. He is something else. He came from another planet. I don’t know where he came from. He is not human.” Kohli had earlier given RCB a flying start with a 25-ball 43 when the Bengaluru side were asked to bat first. He combined with Devdutt Padikal to put on a 72-run stand before GT made a brief comeback. Jason HolderWho dismissed both the batsmen in three balls. However, Patidar and Krunal Pandya turned the momentum around with a ferocious counter-attack. The duo added 95 runs in just 47 balls as Gujarat’s sloppy fielding and dropped chances hurt them badly under pressure. Ashwin also reserved special praise for Krunal, who once again made RCB lose momentum briefly with a 28-ball 43 in a crunch knockout game. In typical Ashwin fashion, the veteran spinner joked: “In case of emergency don’t call 108; call Krunal Pandya.” The RCB bowlers then ensured that there would be no comeback from Gujarat. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood And Rasukh Salam tore apart GT’s batting line-up, reducing them to 51/5 inside the powerplay. GT Captain Shabman Gul admitted after the game that his team fell apart under pressure, particularly in the field, while impact substitute Rahul Teotia’s fighting 68 only narrowed the margin of defeat. With the emphatic win, RCB moved one step away from defending their IPL crown and will now head to the final on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
