RCB Vs GT Qualifier 1, IPL 2026: Who Said What After Bengaluru's Comprehensive 92-Run Win

Royal Challengers Bengaluru booked their place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final after crushing Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. RCB produced a sensational batting display after being asked to bat first, piling up a mammoth 254/5 in 20 overs.

Virat Kohli gave the side a blazing start with 43 off 25 balls, while Devdutt Padikkal attacked aggressively during the powerplay. Gujarat Titans struggled badly with the ball as RCB crossed 100 inside nine overs.

The biggest turning point came through skipper Rajat Patidar, who delivered a breathtaking innings under pressure. Patidar smashed an unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls, hammering nine sixes and six boundaries at a strike rate above 280.

Tim David and Romario Shepherd added quick runs in the death overs as Bengaluru registered their highest-ever playoff total in IPL history. Jason Holder was Gujarat Titans’ best bowler with figures of 2/39 in four overs.

Chasing a daunting target of 255, Gujarat Titans lost momentum early after Sai Sudharsan suffered a bizarre hit-wicket dismissal while attempting a boundary off Jacob Duffy. Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler tried to rebuild the innings, but regular wickets kept pushing GT further behind the required rate. Duffy bowled brilliantly with the new ball and finished with figures of 3/39.

Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma also chipped in with important wickets as Gujarat Titans were eventually bowled out for 162 in 18.4 overs. The emphatic victory sent RCB into their fifth IPL final and kept alive their hopes of winning a maiden IPL title after years of heartbreak in the competition.

Rajat Patidar On Winning The POTM

"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."

Shubman Gill On The Loss

"I think we were going pretty well up until the 12th, 13th over, and I don't think our fielding was at par, dropping a couple of catches, and then our ground fielding was not up to the mark. (There are plenty of learnings from this game for you as well?) Yeah, definitely, you know, this is, like you said, one of those games that we'd like to forget and start over in Mohali. (Is that [fielding errors] something that you'll address at training?) No, it's definitely something that we do address in the team meetings and also in the practice sessions. But like I said, I don't think it was our day, the intensity was right there, but under pressure situations, we were not up to the mark.

(Were you confident walking out to bat with the chase?) I mean, it's all about getting a good start, you know. If you get a good power play and on a ground like this we know the ball travels and the outfield is also very quick. So if you would have gotten off to a good start in the power play, any target with the kind of way the wicket was playing and the kind of ground that we were playing at, it could have been chaseable."

Rajat Patidar On The Win

"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."

Gujarat Titans will now face the winner of the eliminator clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals, taking place in Mullanpur.