IPL: Rajat Patidar Silences All Doubts with a Knock for the Ages

IPL: RCB Storm Into Final With 92-Run Thrashing of Titans in Qualifier 1


What a night of cricket! If you missed this match, you missed something special. Royal Challengers Bengaluru are heading to the IPL 2026 final, and they got there in the most stunning way possible. They crushed Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in Qualifier 1.

Everything clicked for RCB. First, their batters went on a rampage. Then, their bowlers finished the job. Gujarat Titans, who won the toss and chose to bowl first, had no answer to the RCB storm.

Let me take you through how this unfolded.


Quick Takeaways (For Those in a Hurry)

  • Winner: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (won by 92 runs)

  • Hero of the Match: Rajat Patidar – scored 93 runs from just 33 balls. Hit 9 sixes!

  • RCB's Total: 254 runs for 5 wickets in 20 overs

  • GT's Reply: All out for 162 runs in 19.3 overs

  • Best Bowler for RCB: Jacob Duffy took 3 wickets

  • Fighter for GT: Rahul Tewatia scored 68 runs, but it was too late

  • What Happens Next: RCB goes straight to the final. GT gets one more chance in Qualifier 2 on Friday.

How RCB Built That Monster Total

Gujarat Titans won the toss and decided to bowl first. It looked like a good decision for exactly two balls. Then, chaos began.

Venkatesh Iyer goes wild: He smashed 19 runs from just 7 balls. Four, four, six – he was on fire. But he fell in the second over.

Kohli and Padikkal take charge: Virat Kohli (43 runs) and Devdutt Padikkal (30 runs) played beautifully. They added 72 runs together and kept the scoreboard racing.

Then came the captain – Rajat Patidar: This was the moment everyone will talk about. Patidar played like a man on a mission. He reached his fifty in just 21 balls. By the end, he was unbeaten on 93 from 33 balls. Nine sixes. Five fours. Pure class.

Krunal Pandya helps out: He scored a quick 43 runs from 28 balls. Jitesh Sharma finished things off with 15 runs from just 5 balls.

A dropped catch that hurt GT badly: Kagiso Rabada dropped Patidar when he was on 30-something. That mistake cost GT at least 60 extra runs.

By the end of 20 overs, RCB had 254 runs on the board. That is a huge score in any T20 game.


GT's Chase – Over Before It Started

Chasing 255 runs is always tough. But GT made it look impossible within the first few overs.

The Powerplay disaster: Inside the first 6 overs, Gujarat lost 5 wickets for just 51 runs. The match was basically over right there.

  • Sai Sudharsan (14 runs): A sad way to go. He hit his own stumps while trying to play a shot.

  • Shubman Gill (2 runs): The captain was bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. No luck there.

  • Jos Buttler (29 runs): He looked dangerous. Hit fours and sixes. But Josh Hazlewood bowled him.

  • Nishant Sindhu (5 runs) and Jason Holder (0 runs): Both fell in quick time. No recovery from there.

Tewatia's lone fight: Rahul Tewatia tried his best. He scored 68 runs from 43 balls, hitting 8 fours and 4 sixes. He even added 50 runs with the last batter, Mohammed Siraj. But the target was just too far away.

Bowlers who shined for RCB:

  • Jacob Duffy: 3 wickets for 39 runs

  • Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 2 wickets for 28 runs

  • Krunal Pandya: 2 wickets for 16 runs

  • Rasikh Salam: 2 wickets for 24 runs

GT was finally bowled out for 162 in the 20th over. RCB won by 92 runs – a massive victory.


Three Big Moments That Changed the Match

  1. The dropped catch: Rabada dropping Patidar was the biggest mistake of the night. Patidar made them pay.

  2. The Powerplay collapse: GT losing 5 wickets in the first 6 overs killed the chase completely.

  3. Duffy's early strikes: The New Zealand bowler removed Sudharsan and then came back to take two more wickets. He was brilliant.

Final Thoughts

This was not a close game. RCB was better in every department. Their batting looks scary. Their bowling has depth. And their captain is in the form of his life.

Gujarat Titans have a lot to think about. They need to fix their bowling and find a way to survive the Powerplay with the bat. But they still have a chance. One bad night does not make a bad team.

What to watch next:  Eliminator – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals. The winner of that match will face GT on Friday for the last spot in the final.

What Happens Next

  • RCB: Goes straight to the IPL 2026 final.

  • GT: Gets another chance. They will play Qualifier 2 against the winner of SRH vs RR (Eliminator)