Rajat Patidar’s 33-Ball 93 Helps RCB Crush Gujarat Titans And Become First Team To Reach IPL 2026 Final

Royal Challengers Bengaluru stormed into the IPL final for the second straight season after a huge 92-run win over Gujarat Titans in Dharamsala on Tuesday. Led by a brilliant innings from captain Rajat Patidar and a superb bowling effort from the pacers, RCB completely dominated the match from start to finish.

Rajat Patidar Leads RCB Batting Masterclass

Batting first, RCB piled up a massive 254/5 in their 20 overs. Rajat Patidar was the star of the innings, remaining unbeaten on 93 from just 33 balls. He played fearless cricket and smashed the Gujarat bowlers all around the ground with five fours and nine sixes.

Virat Kohli gave RCB a strong start with 43 runs off 25 balls, while Krunal Pandya added an important 43 lower down the order. RCB’s total also became the highest ever score in an IPL playoff match.

Fast Start From RCB Despite Early Wicket

RCB started aggressively after being asked to bat first. Venkatesh Iyer attacked from the first over and scored 19 runs off just six balls before Kagiso Rabada dismissed him.

Devdutt Padikkal then joined Virat Kohli and the pair kept the scoreboard moving quickly. RCB reached 76/1 in the powerplay with Kohli playing some classy shots all around the ground.

Holder Brings GT Back Briefly

Jason Holder gave Gujarat Titans some hope by dismissing both Kohli and Padikkal in the same over. Kohli made 43 while Padikkal added 30.

At that stage, GT looked like they had a chance to slow RCB down, but Patidar had other plans.

Patidar And Krunal Destroy GT Bowling

Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya completely changed the momentum with a brilliant partnership in the middle overs. After settling in, the duo attacked every bowler and scored freely.

Kulwant Khejroliya and Rashid Khan suffered the most as RCB crossed the 200-run mark quickly. Patidar reached his half-century in just 21 balls and never slowed down.

Krunal scored a valuable 43 before getting out to Rabada, while Jitesh Sharma played a quick cameo at the end to help RCB finish strongly.

ALSO READ: Sai Sudharsan Creates Unwanted IPL History With Second Bizarre Hit-Wicket Dismissal vs RCB

GT Lose Early Wickets In Huge Chase

Chasing 255, Gujarat Titans needed a flying start but lost wickets regularly. Sai Sudharsan hit a couple of early boundaries before getting out in an unusual manner when his bat slipped out of his hands while running.

ALSO READ: RCB vs GT, IPL 2026: Bhuvneshwar Kumar Surpasses IPL Greats With Stunning Record in Qualifier 1

Bhuvneshwar Kumar then removed Jos Buttler, who had started aggressively with a quick 29 off 11 balls.

RCB Pacers Take Complete Control

RCB’s bowlers never allowed Gujarat to recover. Rasikh Salam dismissed Nishant Sindhu and Jason Holder in the same over, leaving GT under massive pressure inside the powerplay.

Jacob Duffy was outstanding with the ball and picked up three wickets, including Rashid Khan and Washington Sundar. Krunal Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also took two wickets each as Gujarat’s batting lineup collapsed badly.

Rahul Tewatia Fights Lone Battle

Rahul Tewatia was the only batter who showed resistance for Gujarat Titans. He scored a fighting 68 off 43 balls and entertained the crowd with some powerful hitting.

However, with no support from the other end, his effort was never enough to challenge RCB’s huge total.

RCB One Step Away From Another IPL Title

Gujarat Titans were eventually bowled out for 162 as RCB sealed a dominant 92-run victory.

With this win, Royal Challengers Bengaluru moved one step closer to defending their IPL title. Gujarat Titans still have another opportunity to reach the final as they will now play Qualifier 2 against the winner of the eliminator.

Brief Scores

RCB 254 for 5 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 93 no, Virat Kohli 43, Krunal Pandya 43, Jason Holder 2/39). GT 162 for 19.3 overs (Rahul Tewatia 68, Jacob Duffy 3/39, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/28, Josh Hazlewood 1/39, Raskh Salam ).