A sensational unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls from captain Rajat Patidar powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a commanding 92-run win over Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 of the 2026 IPL in Dharamsala on Tuesday. The emphatic victory also secured RCB a place in their second consecutive IPL final.
3️⃣1️⃣???????? ????????????, 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣. ????#TATAIPL. FINAL. WE. WILL. BE. THERE. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/IRW1A33C5D
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 26, 2026
Set a daunting target of 255, Gujarat Titans were bundled out for 162. RCB's pace attack dominated proceedings, with Jacob Duffy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and Rasikh Salam combining to claim eight wickets. Duffy was the standout performer among the bowlers, returning figures of 3/39.
GT's chase never truly got going as their star trio of Sai Sudharsan, skipper Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler were all dismissed within the first five overs, effectively ending hopes of a record chase.
Despite the collapse, Rahul Tewatia fought back with a spirited 68 off 43 deliveries, helping the 2022 champions avoid the embarrassment of being bowled out for under 100.
Earlier, RCB posted a massive 254/5 — the highest total ever recorded in an IPL playoff match — thanks largely to Patidar's explosive innings. Virat Kohli provided solid support at the top with 43 off 25 balls, while Krunal Pandya added late fireworks with a quickfire 43 from 28 deliveries.
Despite the loss, Shubman Gill led-GT will get a second shot of qualifying for the final. The team will now head to New Chandigarh to play Qualifier-2. They now await the winner of the Eliminator which will be played between Sunrirsers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
RCB meanwhile now head to Ahmedabad where they will play one of either GT, SRH or RR in the final on May 31.
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