Royal Challengers Bengaluru decimated Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Batting first, Venkatsesh Iyer set the tone for the defending champions, but he failed to live up to the momentum. After he departed for 19 runs, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal dominated the powerplay, stitching a partnership of 72 runs.
Soon after the powerplay, he walked back to the pavilion, following a double whammy by Jason Holder. It brought Gujarat back into the contest for a while, but Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya completely stole the show in the middle overs, pushing the Shubman Gill-led side on the fringes.ย
Pandya eventually departed for 43 runs off 28 balls and then what followed was an onslaught from Patidar. The RCB captain wreaked havoc in the middle, smacking unbeaten 93 runs off 33 balls and that should force the selectors to consider his name in the T20I squad. He has been phenomenal throughout the season and in Qualifier 1, he proved why he belongs in the conversation.
Courtesy of his blistering batting, Bengaluru posted 254 runs in the first innings, which is the highest-ever in IPL playoffs history. They also hit 38 boundaries, which is the most in the playoffs.
RCB pacers destroy GTโs batting
Bengaluru pacers dominated the GT batters right from the beginning. The Shubman Gill-led side lost wickets at regular intervals and eventually suffered the second-biggest defeat in IPL playoffs history. There was tremendous pressure on the captain, his opening partner Sai Sudharsan and keeper-batter Jos Buttler, but all three of them failed to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Sudharsan departed in an unfortunate fashion, as he was hit out in the third over of the match. Gill and Buttler soon made their way back to the pavilion, adding 2 and 29 runs, respectively. Gujarat lost two more wickets of Nishant Sindhu and Jason Holder as Gujarat lost five wickets for 51 runs in the powerplay.
Even after the powerplay, the 2022 champions lost wickets at regular intervals, eventually being bowled out for 162 runs. They suffered an embarrassing 92-run defeat and will now play the winner of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals in the Qualifier 2. RCB, on the other hand, are once again in the final.ย
Meanwhile, credit goes to Rahul Tewatia in the end, who made 68 runs off 43 balls. However, he couldn’t save Gujarat from the massive defeat.ย
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