RCB produced a dominant all-round performance in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 as Rajat Patidar’s unbeaten 93 powered them to a record 254/5 and a 92-run win over Gujarat Titans.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar celebrates after scoring a half-century during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Qualifier 1 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (Photo: IANS/Biplab Banerjee)
RCB produced one of their most dominant performances of the season as captain Rajat Patidar struck a breathtaking unbeaten 93 to power Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a 92-run win over Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday, sealing a direct entry into the final with a record-breaking display.
RCB posted a staggering 254/5 in 20 overs, the highest total ever recorded in an IPL playoff match, powered by explosive contributions from Virat Kohli (43), Krunal Pandya (43), and a late carnage led by Patidar.
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Asked to bat first, RCB came out with aggressive intent from ball one. Venkatesh Iyer provided a flying start, smashing three boundaries off Mohammed Siraj before adding a six off Kagiso Rabada. His cameo ended on 19 off 7 balls when Shubman Gill took a sharp catch off Rabada.
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Despite the early wicket, RCB maintained relentless momentum. Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli counterattacked fluently, with Kohli in elegant touch against both Siraj and Rabada. The former captain dominated the Powerplay, striking boundaries and a towering six as RCB raced to 76/1 in six overs, their best Powerplay of the season.
Jason Holder briefly pulled Gujarat back into the contest with a double strike, removing Kohli (43) and Padikkal (30), reducing RCB from 91/1 to 102/3.
However, Patidar, promoted up the order, steadied the innings alongside Krunal Pandya. The duo rebuilt smartly before unleashing a brutal counterattack through the middle overs.
Krunal struck clean sixes, while Patidar capitalised on dropped chances and fielding errors to shift momentum decisively. A costly over featuring no-balls and misfields from GT allowed RCB to race ahead, including a 28-run 15th over that broke the game open.
Even Rashid Khan was taken apart for 21 runs in an over as RCB surged past 200 with ease.
Krunal Pandya fell for a vital 43 off 28 balls, but Patidar took full control of the finish. The RCB skipper brought up his half-century off just 21 balls, including consecutive sixes off Rabada.
From there, it was pure domination. Patidar unleashed a stunning array of strokes across the ground, finishing unbeaten on 93 off 39 balls, smashing 5 fours and 9 sixes, and guiding RCB to a historic total.
Jitesh Sharma added a quick 15 as RCB crossed 250, rewriting playoff record books.
For GT, Rabada and Jason Holder picked up two wickets each, but the bowling attack was overwhelmed under sustained pressure.
Chasing 255, Gujarat Titans never recovered from early setbacks. The top order collapsed under RCB’s aggressive new-ball attack, slipping to 51/5 inside the Powerplay.
Rahul Tewatia offered resistance with a fighting 68 off 43 balls, but the target proved far beyond reach. GT were eventually bowled out for 162 in 19.3 overs, handing RCB a massive 92-run victory.
Jacob Duffy (3/39) and Rasikh Salam (2/24) led the bowling charge for Bengaluru.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will face the winner of Qualifier 2 in the IPL 2026 Final after securing direct qualification by winning Qualifier 1.
That’s how you ! ❤️
Defending champions @RCBTweets are on their way to a second consecutive #TATAIPL final
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/9rs6u5obOw#Qualifier1 | #TheFinalLeap | #RCBvGT pic.twitter.com/1bhTGqwTok
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 26, 2026
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will meet Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator, with the loser knocked out. The winner of the Eliminator will face Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2 for a place in the final.
The IPL 2026 Final will be played on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Captain’s Take
“We’re gonna bowl first. It looks like a good wicket, but we have seen in this ground there is a bit of dew in the second innings, so it’s always good to have a total on the board. This match is all about taking the equation out of the game. We have been playing some really good cricket and hopefully we’ll continue. It’s one of the prettiest grounds in the world. We have one change — Kulwant comes in for Arshad Khan,” said GT skipper Shubman Gill.
“It looks like a very good wicket, pretty hard and will come nicely onto the bat. It won’t change much over 40 overs, so the key is to post a strong total and apply pressure. We’ve played good cricket and are focusing on our strengths rather than the opposition. It’s a big game, and the aim is to take it one game at a time,” said RCB captain Rajat Patidar.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Krunal Pandya, Jacob Duffy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar
Impact options: Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Kanishk Chauhan, Abhinandan, Jordan Cox
Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mohammed Siraj
Impact options: Rahul Tewatia, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Sai Kishore, Kumar Kushagra
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