IPL Dispatch: Rajat Patidar Embodies RCB's Killer Instinct; RR Battling Odds In Eliminator

There was something special about the way Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) embarked upon Qualifier 1 in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Tuesday (May 26, 2026). Invited to bat first by Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill, the reigning champions knew that a middling total, or even one between 220-240 runs might not be enough in chase-friendly Dharamsala.

ALSO READ: RCB Vs GT Highlights

A lack of early movement for Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada further firmed up Bengaluru's plans as they went hell for leather from the get go. The commentators repeatedly mentioned how RCB's batters seemed extra charged-up, and a powerplay score of 76 for one at a venue known to aid new-ball bowling suggested their approach was working too.

Captain Rajat Patidar soon strode out to embody the approach, and the impact was deleterious. Patidar played out just a single dot delivery in his playoff-defining knock of 93 not out from 33 balls. His stroke-making was as versatile as it was audacious, and on the back of a 28-run Kulwant Khejroliya over, the right-hander lifted the Royal Challengers from 140 for 3 after 14 overs to a mountainous 254.

The total was by far the highest in IPL playoffs history, and for the Titans to chase it down, needed at least one of Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler to play a blinder. Once that did not happen, the outcome was pre-ordained. RCB waltzed into their second consecutive final, while Gujarat were consigned to Qualifier 2, where they await the victor of Wednesday's Eliminator duel between SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR).

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Before GT collapsed in a heap, they bore hopes of a blockbuster start from their red-hot opening duo of Sai Sudharsan and Gill. The southpaw began well too with three early boundaries, but a bizarre hit wicket dismissal cut short his stay.

The Tamil Nadu star inadvertently threw his bat onto the stumps after cutting Jacob Duffy to the point boundary in the third over. Sai Sudharsan lost the grip as he played the shot and the bat swirled backwards, and knocked the stumps over after bouncing once on the surface.

It was an utterly unfortunate mode of dismissal that left the opener heartbroken and ended his streak of five straight half-centuries. With his departure for a 9-ball 14, the floodgates opened as Bengaluru reduced the Titans to a hopeless 53 for 5 by the end of the seventh over.

Kohli, The Partnership Man

Much like Sai Sudharsan and Gill, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal have also combined effectively for their team through the tournament. On Tuesday, the top-order duo brought up their seventh fifty-plus partnership of the season. With their 72-run stand, Kohli-Padikkal equalled the second highest number of half-century alliances in an IPL season.

Kohli has a history of forging such tournament-shaping alliances; he holds the record along with Faf du Plessis, with eight 50-plus partnerships in IPL 2023. The former India captain had also compiled seven such stands with his trusted ally AB de Villiers in the 2016 edition.

Can Vaibhav Snap Royals' Losing Streak Against SRH?

From the top-two sides' luxury of an extra shot at the final in Qualifier 1, we move to the next two's struggle of needing back-to-back wins via the Eliminator. SRH could well have been part of Tuesday's fixture, if not for an inferior net run rate to GT and RCB. Instead, the Pat Cummins-led side has to slug it out with the Royals, who scraped through to the playoffs in comparison.

On the plus side for Hyderabad, they have the wood over RR in recent times. The SunRisers beat Riyan Parag's men in both their league face-offs; in fact, they have won in the teams' six last meetings! Someone who is not awed by such facts and reputations is the irresistible Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Rajasthan would desperately hope for the 'Boss Baby' to light up New Chandigarh with their outrageous shot-making.

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Swing virtuoso Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who returned miserly figures of 28 for 2 in four overs at the HPCA Stadium to reclaim the Purple Cap from Rabada, said the credit also has to go to the support staff that help RCB bowlers draw their plans.

"A lot of credit goes to the men behind the scenes, the kind of plans and the way we executed those plans. The experience of Hoff (Josh Hazlewood) and me is useful, but the support staff has been outstanding," he told the broadcaster.

"They set up the plans and we're executing. I can say we're data-informed, if there's places where we can improve, we do refer to it, but we don't go 100 per cent. We make a lot of effort not to give room, get those leg-before wickets and bowled, we do a lot of planning," Bhuvneshwar added.

Elsewhere...

In other cricket news, star all-rounder Rashid Khan and batter Ibrahim Zadran were both rested from Afghanistan's Test squad against India. Hashmatullah Shahidi was named captain of the team that will play a one-off Test and three ODIs against the Men In Blue from June 6 to June 20.

Meanwhile, Josh Inglis has replaced the injured Mitchell Marsh as Australia's captain for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Pakistan. Marsh suffered an ankle injury while playing in the IPL and has returned home after missing Lucknow Super Giants’ final game. He will undergo further assessment and treatment in Perth.

Finally, former India all-rounder Vijay Shankar has joined Kandy Royals as a marquee signing ahead of the sixth season of Lanka Premier League (LPL). Four days back, Shankar had announced his retirement from Indian domestic cricket and the IPL "to pursue new opportunities and play more cricket", and he will commence that journey with LPL.