Royal Challengers Bangalore reached the final ipl 2026 With an impressive 92-run win over Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 at the HPCA Stadium. The defending champions outperformed Gujarat in every department and secured their place in the summit clash.
Batting first, RCB recovered from early setbacks to post a mammoth score of 254/5 in 20 overs. Captain Rajat Patidar played a sensational unbeaten inning of 93 runs off just 33 balls at an extraordinary strike rate of 282.82, hitting five fours and nine sixes. Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal stitched a fluent partnership of 72 runs in just 38 balls for the second wicket, setting the stage for a huge score. Later, Patidar along with Krunal Pandya made a crucial partnership of 95 runs in just 45 balls for the fourth wicket. Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder took two wickets each for Gujarat Titans.
In reply, Gujarat Titans were never able to find any rhythm in the chase and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Rahul Tewatia was the only talented player, scoring 68 runs in 43 balls with the help of eight fours and four sixes. However, GT could only score 162 runs, giving RCB an easy win. For Bengaluru, Jacob Duffy bowled brilliantly and took 3 wickets for 39 runs, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar and Krunal Pandya took two wickets each.
RCB will now play the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 31, while Gujarat Titans will face the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2 on May 29 at Mullanpur.
talking points:
Padikkal-Kohli powerplay attack
After losing opener Venkatesh Iyer early, Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli carried the innings with an aggressive counterattack for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The duo added 72 runs in just 38 balls for the second wicket and shifted the momentum completely in favor of RCB. Padikkal played a stormy innings of 30 runs, while Kohli continued his consistent form with a quickfire innings of 43 runs. His positive approach during the powerplay laid the right foundation for a huge total in the high-pressure Qualifier 1 clash.
Rajat Patidar dominates Dharamshala
RCB captain Rajat Patidar played a captaincy innings on the big stage and completely dominated the Gujarat bowling attack. Patidar scored an unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls with the help of five fours and nine sixes at an astonishing strike rate of 281.82. He controlled the innings brilliantly during the middle and death overs, ensuring that RCB maintained a high scoring rate throughout. Patidar also formed a vital partnership with Krunal Pandya in the latter stages of the innings, which helped Bengaluru cross the 250-run mark and put Gujarat Titans under immense pressure.
RCB bowlers perform collectively
RCB bowlers supported the batting effort with a disciplined and clinical performance during the chase. Gujarat Titans batsmen never looked settled as wickets kept falling throughout the innings. Jacob Duffy was the standout performer with figures of 3/39, troubling the GT batsmen with his accuracy and variety. Experienced fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar along with Rasikh Salam Dar and Krunal Pandya took two wickets each to dismantle Gujarat's batting lineup. Their collective bowling effort restricted GT to 162 and effectively sent Royal Challengers Bangalore into the IPL 2026 final.
who said what?
Shubman Gill, Gujarat Titans (losing captain)
(Surprised by Pitch's behavior?) I mean, not really. I think we were going very well till the 12th, 13th over, and I don't think our fielding was up to par, a few catches were dropped, and then our ground fielding was not good. (There's a lot to learn from this game for you too?) Yes, of course, you know, this is, as you said, one of those games that we would like to forget and start again in Mohali. (is that [fielding errors] Something you address during training?) No, it's definitely something we address in team meetings and practice sessions as well. But as I said, I don't think it was one day, the intensity was there, but in pressure situations, we couldn't perform as expected. (Were you confident about batting while chasing?) I mean, it's all about getting a good start, you know. If you get a good power play and on a field like this, we know the ball travels and the outfield is also very fast. So if you get a good start in the power play, the kind of wicket it was and the kind of ground we were playing on, any target could have been chased. (On Sudarshan's dismissal) Yeah, I mean, you don't see that kind of dismissal very often. So it was very unfortunate.
Rajat Patidar, Royal Challengers Bangalore (winning captain) and Player of the Match
It was a super game for us. The way everyone was striking was good for us. You have to show body language, which every batsman has. The big stage, the way we dominated it was fantastic. Starting off, I take 8-10 balls to see how the wicket is playing. After that I am not worried about my wicket. It was not so easy to hit a six under the ball of the wicket. We had to take out their top three in the powerplay.
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