IPL 2026: Rajat Patidar's storm carries RCB into 2nd straight final with 92-run win over GT

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stormed into the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) final after hammering Gujarat Titans (GT) by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, May 26, at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala. Being asked to bat first, RCB flexed their batting muscles, posting the highest total in IPL playoffs history of 254/5 in their allotted 20 overs.

Captain Rajat Patidar continued his rich form in the playoffs, playing a breathtaking innings that powered RCB to a humongous score. Apart from him, Virat Kohli (43 off 25) and Krunal Pandya (43 off 28) also made valuable contributions.

For Gujarat, Jason Holder (2/39) and Kagiso Rabada (2/54) scalped two wickets each. In reply, GT's chase never got going as their worst nightmare came true, and their middle order got exposed in the all-important clash. Only Rahul Tewatia (68 off 43) showed some fight, helping his team cross the 100-run mark as GT were bundled out for 162 in 19.3 overs.

It was a collective bowling performance by RCB, with Jacob Duffy scalping three wickets while Krunal Pandya (2/16, 3.3 overs), Rasikh Salam Dar (2/24, 3 overs), and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/28) chipped in with two wickets each. As a result, RCB registered the second-largest victory in IPL playoffs by 92 runs.

Meanwhile, following their win, RCB qualified for their second successive final, while GT will get another opportunity to seal their berth in the summit clash as they will take on the winner of the Eliminator fixture in Qualifier 2 on May 29 in Mullanpur.

Top run-scorer of the Match

Top wicket-taker of the Match

Player of the Match

Rajat Patidar was deservedly adjudged Player of the Match for his breathtaking innings that changed the course of the game. The RCB captain walked to the crease with his team on 93/2 after 8.2 overs. Patidar scored 14 runs off his first ten balls and then pressed on the accelerator to bring up his fifty off just 21 balls. He finished his innings on an unbeaten 93* (33), smashing five fours and nine sixes. 

Turning Point

After scoring 86 runs in the first seven overs, RCB had a quiet period, where they lost a well-set Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal in the ninth over against Jason Holder. They were at 99/3 after ten overs, when Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya got involved in a game-changing stand. The duo added a massive 95-run stand off 45 balls for the fourth wicket to propel their team’s score past 250.

GT also gave a couple of reprieves to Patidar first on 14, as Jason Holder dropped him at third man. Two balls later, Kagiso Rabada shelled down another opportunity at deep square leg, giving another life to Patidar on 20. The drops hurt them big time as his mind-boggling innings took RCB to an imposing total.

What did the captains say:

Winning Captain, Rajat Patidar (Royal Challengers Bengaluru):

It was a super game for us and the way especially the batsmen have dominated in this game, the way everyone was striking with intent, I think that was good for us. It's not a clear plan (to go after the GT bowlers), but I think we are ready for it because you have to show some body language that we are coming for you. So I think that was there in every batsman. So we had a chat in the meeting. We have to give a good body language and the attacking mindset. It was a big stage, qualifier 1, and the way we played, the way we dominated in this game, I think that was superb. (On his batting) I think the way of my batting is similar. I think starting, I take some few balls, 8-10 balls to see how the wicket is behaving and what the ball is doing. And after that, I think I have a clear mind that how I have to go about it and I am not worried about the wicket. I always like to put the bowler under pressure. (On the bowling) To be honest, the wicket was not that easy to go under the ball and hit the long sixes because there was very good bounce and the way bowlers executed their plans, bowled more balls on the stumps, I think that helped. The way GT played till now, I think the three main batsmen was top three and we were clear that we have to get them out in the powerplay and hopefully it worked. (On bringing Romario as the Impact Player) No, I was just checking that if we go in the finals and for how Romario will bowl in the middle overs, so that was the plan behind it. Yeah, I think it will be a good recovery and let's go for the finals.

Losing Captain, Shubman Gill (Gujarat Titans):

(Surprised with the way the pitch behaved?) I mean, not really. I think we were going pretty well up until the 12th, 13th over, and I don't think our fielding was at par, dropping a couple of catches, and then our ground fielding was not up to the mark. (There are plenty of learnings from this game for you as well?) Yeah, definitely, you know, this is, like you said, one of those games that we'd like to forget and start over in Mohali. (Is that [fielding errors] something that you'll address at training?) No, it's definitely something that we do address in the team meetings and also in the practice sessions. But like I said, I don't think it was our day, the intensity was right there, but under pressure situations, we were not up to the mark. (Were you confident walking out to bat with the chase?) I mean, it's all about getting a good start, you know. If you get a good power play and on a ground like this we know the ball travels and the outfield is also very quick. So if you would have gotten off to a good start in the power play, any target with the kind of way the wicket was playing and the kind of ground that we were playing at, it could have been chaseable. (On Sudharsan's dismissal) Yeah, I mean, you don't see that kind of dismissal very often. So that was very unfortunate.