Royal Challengers Bengaluru mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik praised his team’s fearless approach and outstanding body language after RCB crushed Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026 to book a second straight appearance in the tournament final. Speaking in the dressing room after the emphatic win at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, Karthik described the performance as one of RCB’s most complete displays of the season.

The defending champions dominated both with the bat and ball, posting a record-breaking 254/5 before bowling Gujarat out for 162. “This was a clinical effort, a professional effort,” Dinesh Karthik told the players after the match. “A one-versus-two playoff game is always a big game, but we played like champions.”

RCB’s total of 254 became the highest score ever recorded in IPL playoff history, with captain Rajat Patidar producing a breathtaking unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls. Karthik praised the skipper for leading from the front in a high-pressure clash. 

“Rajat’s innings was incredible. He led from the front in a pressure game and completely took the bowlers apart,” Dinesh Karthik said. The former India wicketkeeper also highlighted the aggressive intent shown by the batting unit right from the opening over. According to him, RCB’s positive mindset prevented Gujarat Titans from gaining any control during the innings.

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“The intent from the boys right from the start was outstanding. It started with Venky, Virat and Dev. As a collective, we maintained the tempo throughout,” he added. Venkatesh Iyer’s explosive cameo, Virat Kohli’s fluent 43 and Devdutt Padikkal’s attacking strokeplay laid the perfect foundation before Patidar and Krunal Pandya accelerated in the middle overs.

𝗥𝗖𝗕 𝘃 𝗚𝗧: 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗩𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝗻

Rajat’s brilliance, Bhuvi’s consistency, the team recognising every little contribution, and staying focused with eyes on the bigger prize – here we are bringing you all the behind… pic.twitter.com/6YvdJqddn8

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 27, 2026

Karthik also credited Kohli for setting the tone before the match with his emphasis on maintaining strong body language and intensity throughout the contest.

“Virat spoke before the game about making sure our body language stayed strong, and I think it was as good as it has been in the last several weeks,” Dinesh Karthik revealed.

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RCB then backed up their batting effort with a ruthless bowling display, reducing Gujarat Titans to 51/5 inside the powerplay. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy and Rasikh Salam consistently attacked the stumps and never allowed GT to recover despite Rahul Tewatia’s fighting half-century.

Karthik signed off by urging the squad to enjoy the moment before switching focus to Sunday’s IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad. “We have another big game in four days’ time, but first let’s enjoy this moment. When we reach Ahmedabad, we’ll focus again,” he said.