Royal Challengers Bengaluru took a massive step toward a historic back-to-back IPL title on Tuesday night, dismantling Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala in one of the most dominant playoff performances in IPL history. A breathtaking unbeaten 93 off 33 balls from captain Rajat Patidar powered RCB to 254 for five, the highest team total in IPL playoff history. Gujarat were then skittled for 162, and RCB are now directly into the final in Ahmedabad on May 31.
Patidar Produces an Innings for the Ages
When RCB were 104 for three at the halfway stage, GT had briefly wrestled some control back through Jason Holder’s double-strike. What happened next was extraordinary. Rajat Patidar walked out and proceeded to launch one of the most brutal displays of batting the Dharamsala ground has ever witnessed. He reached his fifty in just 21 balls and never took his foot off the accelerator, finishing on an unbeaten 93 off 33 balls at a strike rate of 281.82. Nine sixes came off his bat across the innings, many of them clearing the fence with enormous ease despite the quick outfield and the altitude making conditions genuinely challenging for bowlers.
Kohli and Padikkal Set the Platform Early
While Patidar stole the headlines, it was Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal who set the tone in the powerplay. The pair counter-attacked brilliantly after Venkatesh Iyer was removed for a rapid 19 off seven deliveries, and RCB powered to 76 for one at the end of six overs. That is the fourth-highest powerplay total in IPL knockout history. Kohli contributed 43 off 25 balls before Holder dismissed him and Padikkal in the ninth over to give GT brief hope. That hope never materialised into anything meaningful.
GT’s Batting Collapses Before the Chase Even Starts
Chasing a target of 255, Gujarat needed early wickets and a platform from their top order. They got neither. Sai Sudharsan was dismissed in farcical circumstances when his bat slipped from his hands and crashed into his own stumps for a bizarre hit-wicket in the first over off Jacob Duffy. The openers were gone inside five overs with only 51 on the board, and GT’s much-vaunted batting lineup never recovered. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was relentless in the middle overs, picking up three wickets and ultimately claiming the Purple Cap for IPL 2026 with 26 wickets for the season. Only Rahul Tewatia’s entertaining resistance of 68 off 43 balls gave GT’s innings any shape.
The Records That Fell on a Historic Night
It was not just the result that made headlines. RCB’s total of 254 for five is now the highest ever in IPL playoff history, surpassing the previous record by a comfortable margin. Kagiso Rabada surpassed Mohammed Shami’s record for the most wickets in the first six overs in a single IPL edition. Virat Kohli became the first player in IPL history to score 600 runs in four consecutive seasons. Kohli and Padikkal’s seventh fifty-plus partnership of the season equals the joint second-most by any pair in a single IPL season.
RCB Are the Team to Beat in IPL 2026
The defending champions have now reached their fifth IPL final, with only CSK and MI having appeared in more. The manner of this win, particularly the ruthlessness of Patidar’s innings and the clinical execution of the bowling attack, sends a clear message to whoever emerges from Qualifier 2. RCB are not just defending their title, they are hunting it with real intent. If they go on to lift the trophy on May 31, they will become only the third team in IPL history to defend their title, joining CSK and MI in that elite company.
Written by 8JJ.com | May 28,2026
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