IPL 2026 Qualifier 1: Patidar’s 93* Off 33 Fires Defending Champions RCB Into Final After a 92-Run Rout of Gujarat

DHARAMSHALA — Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) created history at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, demolishing the Gujarat Titans (GT) by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 to storm into their second consecutive IPL final. After being put into bat, RCB put on a breathtaking batting display, racking up a record-breaking 254/5—the highest-ever team total recorded in IPL playoff history. In response, the massive scoreboard pressure completely paralyzed Gujarat’s high-flying batting order, bundling them out for a mere 162 inside 19.3 overs despite a lone fightback from Rahul Tewatia.

RCB Batting: Patidar’s Firestorm Sets Up Record Total

RCB’s innings opened with high intent as Venkatesh Iyer provided a rapid 7-ball 19 burst. Following his early departure, Virat Kohli (43 off 25) and Devdutt Padikkal (30 off 19) dominated the powerplay to comfortably guide the team to 76/1. During this stand, Kohli became the first player in IPL history to amass 600+ runs in four consecutive seasons. However, GT’s Jason Holder briefly swung the momentum back by dismissing both in a single over, reducing RCB to 94/3.

What followed was absolute wreckage. Captain Rajat Patidar survived two dropped catches early off Prasidh Krishna and proceeded to drop an absolute nuclear bomb on the Titans. Patidar smashed an unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls, operating at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 281.82. His clean striking cleared the ropes for 9 massive sixes and 5 boundaries. Combined with a vital 43 off 28 from Krunal Pandya, Patidar blasted 156 runs in the final 10 overs—including a 28-run over off Kulwant Khejroliya—to finish at 254/5.

GT Chase: Powerplay Nightmare and Bizarre Wickets

Chasing a mountain of 255, Gujarat Titans unraveled in a catastrophic top-order collapse under intense clinical lengths from the RCB bowling unit. The tone was set in the third over when leading tournament run-scorer Sai Sudharsan (14) was dismissed in an incredibly bizarre fashion—his bat slipped entirely out of his hand while executing a cut shot off Jacob Duffy and crashed straight into his own stumps to be given hit-wicket.

Skipper Shubman Gill was cleaned up shortly after by a beautiful delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar for just 2. While Jos Buttler provided brief, explosive muscle hitting with a rapid 11-ball 29, his dismissal by Josh Hazlewood triggered a fatal tailspin. Rasikh Salam Dar then stepped up with a double-wicket maiden, packing off Nishant Sindhu and Jason Holder in consecutive deliveries to leave GT reeling at a hopeless 51/5 within the powerplay restrictions.

Tewatia’s Brave Resistance in Vain

With the top order completely back in the shed, Rahul Tewatia played an aggressive lone-warrior hand to keep the defeat respectable. Tewatia hammered a fighting 68 off 43 balls, decorated with 8 boundaries and 4 sixes. He kept pushing the scoring rate past the 100-mark in the 13th over, but with zero assistance from the lower order, his dismissal by Bhuvneshwar Kumar closed out any remote mathematical hopes. Krunal Pandya (2/16) picked up the final wickets as GT were rolled over for 162 in 19.3 overs.

Bowling Masters: Duffy and Bhuvi Suffocate the Titans

RCB’s bowling front executed their structural fields perfectly. New-ball specialist Jacob Duffy rocked the Titans early to finish as the pick of the bowlers with excellent figures of 3/39. Veteran swing maestro Bhuvneshwar Kumar was equally exceptional, returning tight figures of 2/28. With these two wickets, Bhuvi officially claimed the Purple Cap lead with 26 wickets this season. Spin asset Krunal Pandya (2/16) and youngster Rasikh Salam (2/24) provided clinical middle-over chokes to complete the rout.

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