The RCB captain played a match-winning knock of 93* in Qualifier 1 against GT.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) hammered Gujarat Titans (GT) by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala on Tuesday (May 26), to secure their place in the IPL 2026 final.
Put into bat, the defending champions racked up the highest-ever score in IPL playoffs, posting 254/5 in 20 overs. Skipper Rajat Patidar led the charge with a scintillating 93* off 33 balls, while Virat Kohli (43 off 25) and Krunal Pandya (43 off 28) also made significant contributions.
In reply, the Titans got off to a disastrous start, losing five wickets in the powerplay. Rahul Tewatia (68 off 43) was the lone bright spot as GT’s innings eventually folded for 162 in 19.3 overs.
Jacob Duffy took three wickets for RCB, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar and Krunal Pandya returned with a couple of scalps each.
Speaking after the win, Patidar emphasized that RCB took the field with an aggressive and attacking mindset.
“It was a super game for us and the way especially the batsmen dominated in this game, the way everyone was striking with intent, that was good for us. It's not a clear plan (to go after the GT bowlers), but we're ready for it because you have to show some body language that we are coming for you. That was there in every batsman. So we had a chat in the meeting, we have to give a good body language and the attacking mindset. It was a big stage, Qualifier 1, the way we played, the way we dominated in this game, I think that was superb,” Patidar said at the post-match presentation.
Reflecting on his knock, the RCB captain mentioned that after taking 8-10 balls to settle and read the pitch, his goal was to put the GT bowlers under pressure without worrying about his wicket.
“(On his batting) The way of my batting is similar. Starting, I take some few balls, 8-10 balls to see how the wicket is behaving and what the ball is doing. And after that, I have a clear mind that how I have to go about it and I am not worried about the wicket. I always like to put bowler under pressure,” he added.
Patidar noted that the Dharamsala surface had good bounce. Instead of being an easy batting track to launch under the ball, it required immense clarity and adaptation to strike the ball cleanly.
He singled out his bowlers, praising them for their precision and "exceptional" stump-to-stump line and length, which dismantled GT’s top-order in the powerplay.
“(On the bowling) To be honest, the wicket was not that easy to go under the ball and hit the long sixes because there was very good bounce and the way bowlers executed their plans, bowled more balls on the stumps, I think that helped. The way GT played till now, I think the three main batsmen was top three and we were clear that we have to get them out in the powerplay and hopefully it worked,” he remarked.
Rajat Patidar explained that using Romario Shepherd as an Impact Player in the middle overs was a strategic move as he wanted to test his death-overs bowling and ensure the team's balance ahead of the grand finale.
“(On bringing Romario as the Impact Player) I was just checking that if we go in the finals and how Romario will bowl in the middle overs, so that was the plan behind it. It will be a good recovery and let's go for the finals,” he concluded.