Royal Challengers Bengaluru booked their place in the IPL 2026 final with a dominant 92-run win over Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala. Rajat Patidar once again led from the front with a breathtaking unbeaten 93, powering RCB to 254 before the bowling attack bundled GT out for 162.
Gujarat Titans still have one more chance to reach the final, as they will face the Eliminator winner in Qualifier 2. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin felt that if GT manage to fight their way back into the summit clash and eventually lift the trophy, it would be remembered as one of the greatest recoveries in IPL history.
“GT have a lot of holes in their unit and to have finished in the top two isn’t an easy thing,” Ravichandran Ashwin said. He also praised the way Shubman Gill has handled captaincy duties and noted Ashish Nehra’s role in building the side’s plans around pitch conditions and match-ups. “If they manage to make it to the final, I’d tip my hat to them. If they go on to win, it has to be the biggest heist in the history of the IPL,” Ashwin added.
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On the field, RCB started briskly after being put in to bat. Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli added 21 for the first wicket, before Kagiso Rabada dismissed Iyer for 19 off 7 balls. Kohli then joined hands with Devdutt Padikkal, and the pair rebuilt the innings with a valuable 71-run stand.
Jason Holder briefly dragged GT back into the contest by removing Kohli for 43 and Padikkal for 30 in quick succession. But Patidar and Krunal Pandya took control again, putting together a crucial 95-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Rabada finally ended Pandya’s stay after a fluent 43 off 28 deliveries.
Patidar stayed unbeaten throughout the innings, even after Tim David fell cheaply to Prasidh Krishna. With Jitesh Sharma providing a rapid 15 off 5 balls at the death, RCB finished on a colossal total that set up the match perfectly. With the ball, RCB were ruthless from the start. Jacob Duffy dismissed Sai Sudharsan for 14, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Shubman Gill for just 2 off 7 balls. Jos Buttler made 29 before falling to Josh Hazlewood.
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Rasikh Salam then produced a sharp caught-and-bowled dismissal to remove Nishanth Sindhu for 5 and later sent Jason Holder back for a duck. Duffy continued the pressure by removing Washington Sundar and Rashid Khan, while Rahul Tewatia’s fighting 68 was ended by Bhuvneshwar. Krunal Pandya then wrapped up the innings by cleaning up the tail, sealing a clinical RCB victory.
