Rajat Patidar drives RCB into IPL 2026 finals

Rajat Patidar played an incredible knock of 93(33)* to drive RCB into IPL 2026 finals

Hyderabad: Defending Champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stormed into their fifth IPL final with a commanding 92-run win over Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday. RCB posted a mammoth 254/5 before sealing victory in emphatic fashion, with the contest witnessing several major records tumble along the way.

Reflecting on the team’s collective effort, RCB captain Rajat Patidar said, “As I’ve said before, this team doesn’t depend on just one person. Everyone is contributing for the team and that’s a very positive sign. The starts we’ve got throughout the tournament from players like Virat, Venky, Bethell and Salt have always given us the perfect base.”

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Rajat led from the front with a breathtaking 93 off just 33 deliveries, helping RCB maintain complete control through the middle overs and take the game away from Gujarat Titans.

“Initially, I was just trying to assess the wicket and understand which areas I could target. But after that pull shot off Holder, I got more clarity on how to build the innings. Then there comes a stage where you stop thinking too much and focus only on maximising the momentum,” he said.

Devdutt Padikkal continued the momentum created by the openers with a fluent 30 off just 19 deliveries and praised the fearless intent shown by the side in the high-pressure clash.

“I think collectively as a group, it’s something we should be really proud of. It’s no mean feat to go back-to-back in two years and reach the final. We spoke about being brave and throwing the first punch, and I think we did that brilliantly today. We were straight on them from ball one and really put them under pressure,” he remarked.

He also singled out skipper Rajat Patidar’s innings for special praise,“There’s obviously one individual I want to single out, Rajat. It was an incredible innings in such a big game under pressure. He led from the front and completely took the game away from them.”

Dinesh Karthik credited the batting unit for maintaining their aggressive approach.

“The intent shown by the boys right from the start was outstanding. It started with Venky, Virat and Devdutt, and throughout the innings we maintained our tempo. In games like these, teams sometimes take the back foot, but we ensured we kept pushing forward.”

He further added, “Virat spoke before the game about the importance of body language, and I think it was as good as it has been over the last few weeks. We had the attitude to get the job done and we played like champions tonight.”

The match also witnessed several milestones for RCB. The 254/5 posted by the side is now the highest-ever total in IPL playoff history, while RCB also registered their best powerplay score of the season at 76/1. Virat Kohli crossed the 600-run mark in an IPL season for a record sixth time and fourth consecutive year since 2023. Bhuvneshwar Kumar retained the Purple Cap with 26 wickets this season, while Krunal Pandya became the first player this IPL season to score 200+ runs and pick up 10+ wickets.

RCB will now travel to Ahmedabad for the IPL 2026 Final on May 31 as they look to become only the third team in IPL history to successfully defend their title and lift the trophy for a second consecutive season.