Rajat Patidar led from the front for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as they defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 on May 26 in Dharamshala. RCB defeated GT by 92 runs and have straight away made it into the finals of the tournament.
The RCB skipper smashed a sensational unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls, powering his side to 254/5 — the highest total in IPL playoff history. He was aided by Virat Kohli (43) and Krunal Pandya (43) and cameos by Venkatesh Iyer and Jitesh Sharma.
In response, GT batting collapsed completely, getting bowled out for 162 runs, with Rahul Tewatia top-scoring with 68 runs. GT, after this loss, will play in Qualifier 2 on May 29, where they will face the winner of the eliminator match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.
Former India spinner R Ashwin was mightily impressed with Rajat Patidar’s batting and captaincy skills.
The RCB captain hit nine sixes and five boundaries for a stunning strike rate of 281.82. One of the highlights of his batting was his 28-run knock off Kulwant Khejroliya in just one over. But against Kagiso Rabada, the most memorable event occurred in the 17th over.
Patidar struck a magnificent backfoot six off a fast delivery outside off stump shortly after reaching his scorching 21-ball half-century.
Ashwin called it the “shot of the day” and even suggested it could be the “shot of the tournament.”
“That backfoot six Rajat hit off Kagiso Rabada was the straight-up shot of the day, probably even a contender for shot of the tournament. How he even managed to generate that power from there is beyond me.
Before this knock, Shreyas Iyer was probably a bit ahead in the captaincy and batting conversations, but after tonight, Patidar is right up there,'' Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
“We all know how good Rajat Patidar is against spin, but the way he handled fast bowling today was seriously impressive too. And those sixes he hit off Rashid Khan… I’ve seen very few batters who can get onto the front foot, get right to the pitch of the ball, and still loft Rashid over extra cover for six like that. Pure class. Cometh the man, cometh the hour,” he added.
