GT won toss, elected to field against RCB
Bengaluru posted massive 254-run total, the highest in IPL playoffs
Rajat Patidar hit unbeaten 93 off 33 balls
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took a strong step towards retaining the Indian Premier League (IPL) title by posting a record 254-run total against Gujarat Titans (GT) in their Qualifier 1 clash in Dharamsala on Tuesday (May 26, 2026).
ALSO READ: RCB Vs GT Live Score
The score was the highest ever in an IPL playoff game, surpassing the previous mark of 233 runs (posted by the Titans against the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2023) by a handy 21 runs. RCB's tally of 38 boundaries was also the most struck in an IPL playoff, easily bettering the previous record of 33 hits to the fence by Chennai Super Kings against Delhi Capitals in the 2012 season.
It was their captain Rajat Patidar who made such a towering total possible. Patidar turned the game on its head with a brilliant 33-ball 93 not out, cracking nine sixes and five fours after surviving two dropped chances, as RCB plundered 114 runs off last six overs to seize complete control of the contest.
Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya contributed 43 runs apiece, and Kohli forged his seventh fifty-plus partnership of the edition with Devdutt Padikkal (30 off 19). The duo took the Royal Challengers to a commanding 76 for one in the powerplay, which set the tone for Patidar's brutal assault later.
Earlier, GT skipper Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bowl first. Phil Salt did not find a place in RCB's line-up, while left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya came in place of Arshad Khan in the Titans' XI.
RCB Vs GT, IPL 2026 Qualifier 1: Playing XIs
Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Kulwant Khejroliya, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact Substitutes: Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Jordan Cox
Gujarat Titans Impact Substitute: Rahul Tewatia
The winner of this match will advance to the May 31 final, while the losing side will head to Qualifier 2 on May 29.
