Royal Challengers Bengaluru marched into the final of IPL 2026with a dominant 92-run victory over Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 at HPCA Stadium. The defending
champions delivered a complete performance, excelling in every department to outclass Gujarat and seal their place in the summit clash.
Batting first, RCB posted a massive 254/5 in their 20 overs after recovering strongly from an early setback. Captain Rajat Patidar played a sensational unbeaten knock of 93 runs from just 33 balls, smashing five boundaries and nine sixes at an extraordinary strike rate of 282.82. Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal stitched together a fluent 72-run partnership for the second wicket in only 38 deliveries, setting the platform for a huge total. Later, Patidar combined with Krunal Pandya for a crucial 95-run stand for the fourth wicket off just 45 balls. For Gujarat Titans, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder picked up two wickets each.
In reply, Gujarat Titans never gained momentum in the chase and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Rahul Tewatia was the lone bright spot with a fighting 68 off 43 balls, including eight fours and four sixes. However, GT could only manage 162, handing RCB a comfortable victory. Jacob Duffy starred with the ball for Bengaluru, claiming 3/39, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar and Krunal Pandya chipped in with two wickets each.
RCB will now play the IPL 2026 final on May 31 at Narendra Modi Stadium, while Gujarat Titans will face the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2 at Mullanpur on May 29.
Talking Points:
Padikkal-Kohli powerplay assault
After losing opener Venkatesh Iyer early, Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli steadied the innings with an aggressive counterattack for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The duo added 72 runs in just 38 balls for the second wicket and shifted the momentum completely in RCB’s favour. Padikkal played a fluent knock of 30 runs, while Kohli continued his consistent form with a brisk 43. Their positive approach during the powerplay laid the perfect foundation for a massive total in the high-pressure Qualifier 1 clash.
Rajat Patidar dominates Dharamsala
RCB captain Rajat Patidar delivered a captain’s knock on the big stage and completely dominated the Gujarat bowling attack. Patidar smashed an unbeaten 93 off only 33 balls, hammering 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 RCB maintained a high scoring rate throughout. Patidar also stitched together a crucial 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 deliver collective performance
RCB’s bowlers backed up the batting effort with a disciplined and clinical display during the chase. The Gujarat Titans batters never looked settled as wickets fell regularly throughout the innings. Jacob Duffy was the standout performer with figures of 3/39, troubling the GT batters with his accuracy and variations. Experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, along with Rasikh Salam Dar and Krunal Pandya, picked up two wickets each to dismantle the Gujarat batting lineup. Their collective bowling effort restricted GT to 162 and powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru into the IPL 2026 final in dominant fashion.
Who said what?
Shubman Gill, Gujarat Titans (Losing Captain)
(Surprised with the way the pitch behaved?) I mean, not really. I think we were going pretty well up until the 12th, 13th over, and I don't think our fielding was at par, dropping a couple of catches, and then our ground fielding was not up to the mark. (There are plenty of learnings from this game for you as well?) Yeah, definitely, you know, this is, like you said, one of those games that we'd like to forget and start over in Mohali. (Is that [fielding errors] something that you'll address at training?) No, it's definitely something that we do address in the team meetings and also in the practice sessions. But like I said, I don't think it was a day, the intensity was right there, but under pressure situations, we were not up to the mark. (Were you confident walking out to bat with the chase?) I mean, it's all about getting a good start, you know. If you get a good power play and on a ground like this we know the ball travels and the outfield is also very quick. So if you would have gotten off to a good start in the power play, any target with the kind of way the wicket was playing and the kind of ground that we were playing at, it could have been chaseable. (On Sudharsan's dismissal) Yeah, I mean, you don't see that kind of dismissal very often. So that was very unfortunate.
Rajat Patidar, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Winning Captain) & Player of the Match
It was a super game for us. The way everyone was striking, it was good for us. You have to show body language, that was there for every batter. Big stage, the way we dominated it was superb. Starting, I take 8-10 ball how the wicket is playing. After that, I am not worried about my wicket. Wicket wasn't that easy to get under the ball and hit sixes. We had to get their top three out in the powerplay.
