There are match-winning knocks. And then there are innings that make you rewrite record books. Rajat Patidar's unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 was firmly the second kind.
On a tense night in Dharamsala, with playoff pressure at its peak, Patidar walked in when RCB had just lost two big wickets – Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal – in the same over. The score was 93 for 2. Gujarat Titans thought they were back in the game. Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada were waiting to strike.
Then Patidar happened.
By the time he finished, the RCB captain had smashed 5 fours and 9 sixes, powered his team to 254 for 5 (the highest total ever in an IPL playoff), and broken a truckload of records. The craziest part? While Patidar was blasting 93 off 33 balls, the rest of the batters at the other end managed only 68 runs off 37 deliveries. This was not a partnership. This was one man taking over the game completely.
The Shots That Shook Dharamsala
The innings had many beautiful shots. Clean swings over midwicket. Flat pulls. Smart hitting against fast bowling. But two shots stood above everything else.
The first was a fearless loft over extra cover against Rashid Khan – one of the best T20 bowlers ever. The second was an effortless six over cover off Kagiso Rabada, who was bowling at over 140 kph. Neither shot looked like hard work. Neither looked rushed. They looked almost relaxed, which somehow made them even more disrespectful to the bowlers.
Gujarat tried pace. Patidar used it against them. They tried slower balls. He waited and still cleared the boundary. They tried changing lengths. He sent the ball over the ropes anyway. By the time the innings ended, Gujarat's bowling attack looked less like an elite playoff unit and more like men who had no answers.
The Records That Fell on That Night
Patidar's numbers in playoff matches are now getting seriously ridiculous. Let me break them down for you.
His playoff record so far:
112* (54 balls) vs Lucknow – Eliminator 2022
58 (42 balls) vs Rajasthan – Qualifier 2 2022
34 (22 balls) vs Rajasthan – Eliminator 2024
15* (8 balls) vs Punjab – Qualifier 1 2025
26 (16 balls) vs Punjab – Final 2025
93* (33 balls) vs Gujarat – Qualifier 1 2026
Overall numbers in playoffs:
6 innings
338 runs
Average: 112.66
Strike rate: 193.14
1 hundred and 2 fifties
25 fours and 24 sixes
Only three players have hit more sixes in IPL playoff history – Suresh Raina (40), MS Dhoni (28), and Kieron Pollard (25). Patidar is right behind them with 24 sixes. And here is the scary part – he reached this number in just six innings.
Fastest fifty in playoffs
Patidar reached his fifty in just 21 balls. That puts him among the fastest playoff fifties ever.
The fastest playoff fifties in IPL history:
16 balls – Suresh Raina vs Punjab, 2014
17 balls – Adam Gilchrist vs Delhi, 2009
20 balls – MS Dhoni vs Mumbai, 2012
21 balls – Dwayne Smith vs Chennai, 2013
21 balls – Virender Sehwag vs Chennai, 2014
21 balls – Rajat Patidar vs Gujarat, 2026
Among captains, Patidar now owns the third-fastest playoff fifty, behind only Adam Gilchrist (17 balls) and MS Dhoni (20 balls).
Highest playoff score by an Indian captain
Patidar's unbeaten 93 also became:
The highest individual score by an Indian captain in IPL playoff history
Joint-highest score by any captain in IPL playoff history
Highest scores by captains in IPL playoffs:
93* – David Warner vs Gujarat, 2016
93* – Rajat Patidar vs Gujarat, 2026
87* – Shreyas Iyer vs Mumbai, 2025
85 – Adam Gilchrist vs Delhi, 2009
79 – KL Rahul vs RCB, 2022
He went past Shreyas Iyer's 87 and joined David Warner at the very top.
The biggest six-hitting captain in T20 history
The nine sixes against Gujarat took Patidar's total to 41 sixes in IPL 2026. That is the most by any captain in a single T20 tournament anywhere in the world.
Most sixes in a T20 tournament by a captain:
*41* – Rajat Patidar (RCB, IPL 2026)*
40 – Riyan Parag (Assam, SMAT 2023-24)
39 – Shreyas Iyer (Punjab, IPL 2025)
38 – Virat Kohli (RCB, IPL 2016)
37 – Chris Gayle (Jamaica Tallawahs, CPL 2016)
He also broke the IPL record for most sixes by a captain in a single season, going past Shreyas Iyer (39) and Virat Kohli (38).
And because records were falling everywhere that night, he also now holds the record for most sixes by an RCB captain in a single season – 41, beating Virat Kohli's 38 from 2016.
The Partnership That Buried Gujarat
Patidar and Krunal Pandya put together a 95-run stand. That is now one of the biggest lower-order partnerships in IPL playoff history.
Highest partnerships for the 4th wicket or lower in IPL playoffs:
106* – Miller and Hardik (Gujarat) vs Rajasthan, 2022
96 – Iyer and Pant (Delhi) vs Mumbai, 2020 Final
95 – Patidar and Krunal (RCB) vs Gujarat, 2026
92* – DK and Patidar (RCB) vs Lucknow, 2022
Rajat Patidar – Playoff Record Breakdown
| Season | Opponent | Round | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Lucknow | Eliminator | 112* | 54 | 12 | 7 |
| 2022 | Rajasthan | Qualifier 2 | 58 | 42 | 4 | 3 |
| 2024 | Rajasthan | Eliminator | 34 | 22 | 2 | 2 |
| 2025 | Punjab | Qualifier 1 | 15* | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | Punjab | Final | 26 | 16 | 0 | 3 |
| 2026 | Gujarat | Qualifier 1 | 93* | 33 | 5 | 9 |
| Total | 6 innings | 338 | 175 | 25 | 24 |
His Playoff Averages: Average 112.66 | Strike Rate 193.14
One Shot Away From Another Impossible Record
Had Patidar reached his hundred, he would have become the first player in IPL history to score two playoff hundreds. He already owns a 112* from 2022. This time, he finished unbeaten on 93, just one boundary short of that historic mark.
Still, he produced one of the cleanest, most destructive playoff innings the IPL has ever seen. And somewhere in the mountains of Dharamsala, Gujarat Titans probably realised they had not just lost a match. They had been added to Rajat Patidar's career highlights reel forever.
The Other Story – Rabada Makes History Too
While Patidar stole the spotlight, Kagiso Rabada quietly walked away with a record of his own.
The Gujarat Titans fast bowler dismissed Venkatesh Iyer in the second over of the RCB innings. That wicket was Rabada's 18th in the first six overs (the Powerplay) this season. That is the highest ever by any bowler in a single IPL edition.
Most wickets in the first six overs in an IPL season:
18 – Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat, 2026)
17 – Mohammed Shami (Gujarat, 2023)
16 – Mitchell Johnson (Mumbai, 2013)
16 – Trent Boult (Mumbai, 2020)
The wicket also pushed Rabada to 25 wickets in IPL 2026 overall, putting him at the top of the Purple Cap race. He is now the first bowler in IPL history to take 25 or more wickets in three separate seasons.
But here is the twist. Even though Rabada made history, RCB attacked him fearlessly. His final Powerplay figures read: 3 overs, 39 runs, 1 wicket. Those 39 runs were the most he had conceded in a Powerplay spell all season. Devdutt Padikkal hit him for three boundaries in one over. Virat Kohli whipped him through the leg side twice and even upper-cut him for six.
Still, Rabada walked away with the biggest individual bowling record of IPL 2026. That is how strange and wonderful this game can be.
Most Powerplay Wickets in an IPL Season
| Rank | Bowler | Team | Year | Powerplay Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kagiso Rabada | Gujarat | 2026 | 18 |
| 2 | Mohammed Shami | Gujarat | 2023 | 17 |
| 3 | Mitchell Johnson | Mumbai | 2013 | 16 |
| 4 | Trent Boult | Mumbai | 2020 | 16 |