Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) dominated Gujarat Titans (GT) with a commanding 92-run victory in Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala on Tuesday, securing their spot in the IPL 2026 final. After being asked to bat first, RCB established the highest-ever total in IPL playoff history, reaching 254/5 across their 20 overs. Captain Rajat Patidar spearheaded the assault with a brilliant unbeaten 93 from just 33 deliveries, supported by valuable knocks from Virat Kohli (43) and Krunal Pandya (43). Kohli achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first IPL player to register 600+ runs in four straight seasons. Chasing the massive target, GT crumbled early, losing five wickets during the powerplay phase. GT’s opener Sai Sudharsan departed via hit-wicket, while captain Shubman Gill couldn’t deliver when needed. Despite Rahul Tewatia’s fighting 68, GT folded for 162 in 19.3 overs. Jacob Duffy claimed three scalps, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Dar and Krunal Pandya taking two wickets apiece. GT must now face the Eliminator winner in Qualifier 2 to earn their final berth. Captain Patidar’s knock and bowlers guide RCB to final berth.
TOSS-
Gujarat Titans won the toss and elected to bowl first.
PLAYING XI –
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI):
Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Kulwant Khejroliya, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI):
Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU-
RCB began their innings with immediate aggression as Venkatesh Iyer drove Mohammed Siraj crisply through the covers from the opening delivery. He collected two additional boundaries while Kagiso Rabada challenged Virat Kohli with extra bounce in the second over. Venkatesh executed a clever ramp shot off Rabada for six before departing after top-edging a short delivery, with Shubman Gill completing a sharp catch at mid-off.
RCB maintained their attacking approach as Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal launched drives over mid-off. Despite Kohli’s timing struggles – reflected in a 60% control rate during his innings – Padikkal found boundaries on both sides of the wicket, aided by the rapid outfield. RCB sprinted to 50 within four overs, compelling Gill to introduce a bowler other than Siraj or Rabada in the Powerplay for the first time across eight matches. An overthrow reaching the boundary epitomized GT’s powerplay woes, and though Rabada beat Kohli again in the sixth over, the latter responded with a hook over the keeper for six as RCB accumulated runs freely.
Rashid Khan entered the attack in the eighth over, delivering the first boundary-less over until that point. Jason Holder then triggered memories of Kohli’s earlier dismissal in Bengaluru as the star batter swung across the line and chopped onto his stumps. Two balls later, Padikkal nicked behind and wasted a review as GT began their fightback. RCB managed only 23 runs across the four overs following the Powerplay, with both Patidar and Krunal Pandya struggling for timing, though occasional boundaries emerged including Krunal’s stylish ramp off Prasidh Krishna. The momentum shifted in the 14th over when Rabada dropped a crucial chance at deep mid-wicket, moments after Patidar survived a leading edge that fell safely in the deep third area.
Kulwant Khejroliya made his surprising seasonal debut and while he began with a tight three-run over, everything unraveled in the 15th. A beamer dispatched for four, a wide, misfield off the free hit, and a front-foot no-ball highlighted a disastrous over that Patidar concluded with boundaries flanking a six. The 28-run over swung momentum decisively toward RCB before Rashid, apparently protected from Patidar, conceded three consecutive sixes. GT appeared helpless as Krunal departed, with Patidar reaching his 21-ball fifty via a six. The innings’ standout shot saw him effortlessly launch a back-of-length Rabada delivery over cover as RCB surged past 200 in the 16th over.
Prasidh executed his yorkers perfectly to dismiss Tim David, but Patidar remained unstoppable, treating spectators to catching practice with three more sixes across the final two overs. Jitesh Sharma contributed a six and four as Siraj leaked 21 runs in the 19th over and Prasidh, 20 in the last. The final six overs yielded 114 runs and 10 sixes, highlighting the devastation as RCB established the highest playoff total in league history.
GUJARAT TITANS-
Sai Sudharsan began the chase by striking the first two deliveries to the fence, mirroring Venkatesh’s start for RCB. However, misfortune struck the Orange Cap leader in the third over as he executed a beautiful cut to the boundary, only for his bat to slip during the follow-through before ricocheting onto the stumps off the pitch. Nothing could have better symbolized the nightmare awaiting the Titans. Shubman Gill gifted Bhuvneshwar Kumar his 25th wicket of the season by swinging wildly as the ball crashed into his stumps. Jos Buttler stood as GT’s final hope for salvation and started magnificently, hammering a four and six off Bhuvneshwar before continuing his assault on Josh Hazlewood. The Australian cleverly disguised a slower ball to clean up Buttler, effectively ending the contest.
GT lost two more wickets in the Powerplay as Rasikh Salam Dar dismissed Nishant Sindhu caught and bowled, before Holder miscued to mid-on immediately after Kohli missed a run-out opportunity at the striker’s end. Rahul Tewatia’s early arrival to face the music in the Powerplay spoke volumes about GT’s predicament.
Following the Powerplay, GT went through the motions with Tewatia enduring a sluggish beginning to his innings. Washington Sundar upper-cut a Jacob Duffy delivery to deep third as the Titans crawled to 70 after 10 overs – six runs fewer than RCB’s Powerplay alone. RCB’s dominance was so complete they didn’t activate their Impact Sub until the 12th over began. Rabada found a couple of boundaries before lifting a Krunal bouncer to Kohli at long-on. Romario Shepherd, RCB’s impact substitute, faced another difficult outing as Tewatia accelerated with various boundaries, typically targeting his preferred square leg area. He scooped Hazlewood before sweeping one for six, then used the pace cleverly for another boundary.
A similar stroke brought up his fifty, followed quickly by a short-arm pull behind square. GT seemed likely to complete their 20 overs, but fittingly, Patidar produced an outstanding running catch at cover to end Tewatia’s brave resistance at 68. The match extended into the final over before Siraj skied the ball high as Tim David sprinted in from long-off and completed a spectacular sliding catch to confirm RCB’s final berth.
Brief Scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 254/5 in 20 overs [Rajat Patidar 93* (33), Virat Kohli 43 (25), Krunal Pandya 43 (28); Jason Holder 2-39] defeated Gujarat Titans 162 all out in 19.3 overs [Rahul Tewatia 68 (43), Jos Buttler 29 (11); Jacob Duffy 3-39, Rasikh Salam Dar 2-24, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-28] by 92 runs.
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