Dharamshala, May 26 (IANS) Captain Rajat Patidar produced a sensational unbeaten knock of 93 while Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya chipped in with quickfire 43s as Royal Challengers Bengaluru stormed to a record-breaking 254/5 in 20 overs against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday.

Asked to bat first after losing the toss, RCB came out with aggressive intent right from the opening over. Venkatesh Iyer gave the innings a flying start by taking on former RCB pacer Mohammed Siraj. The left-hander smashed three boundaries in the opening over and continued his attacking approach against Kagiso Rabada, hammering a six before falling on the very next delivery.

Trying to pull a short ball, Iyer miscued his shot, and Shubman Gill completed a superb catch. The opener’s entertaining cameo ended at 19 off just seven deliveries, an innings studded with three fours and a six.

Despite the early wicket, RCB’s momentum never slowed down. Devdutt Padikkal joined Virat Kohli in the middle, and the pair launched a fierce counterattack against the Gujarat bowlers. Kohli looked in sublime touch as he drove Siraj for boundaries, while Padikkal targeted Rabada with three successive fours in one over.

Kohli then took complete control in the final over of the Power-play, smashing Rabada for two boundaries and a six to propel RCB to 76/1, their highest Power-play total of the season.

Just when RCB appeared set for an even bigger assault, the Gujarat Titans made a breakthrough via Jason Holder. Kohli, attempting another attacking stroke, saw the ball take the edge and crash into the stumps. The former RCB captain departed for a fluent 43 off 25 balls, narrowly missing out on a half-century. His innings featured five fours and a six.

Holder struck again in the same over to bring Gujarat back briefly into the contest. Padikkal edged an outswinger behind after a brisk 30 off 19 deliveries that included five boundaries. From 91/1, RCB suddenly slipped to 102/3.

However, skipper Rajat Patidar ensured the innings stayed firmly on course. Promoted up the order, Krunal Pandya joined his captain, and the duo rebuilt the innings smartly before shifting gears dramatically in the middle overs.

Krunal began the acceleration by smashing a six off Prasidh Krishna, while Patidar initially took time to settle before exploding into action. The RCB captain also enjoyed a slice of luck when Gujarat fielders dropped him twice in the same over during the 13th over.

Those missed chances proved extremely costly for the Gujarat Titans.

The pressure visibly affected the fielding side as Kulwant Khejroliya bowled two no-balls in the following over, while Nishant Sandhu committed a costly misfield. RCB capitalised fully on the errors and collected 28 runs from the 15th over to regain complete control of the innings.

The carnage continued in the next over as even Rashid Khan, usually one of the most economical bowlers in T20 cricket, was taken apart for 21 runs. RCB raced towards the 200-run mark with remarkable ease as Patidar began unleashing a range of powerful strokes all around the ground.

Gujarat eventually ended the threatening stand when Rabada dismissed Krunal with a well-disguised slower delivery. Krunal played an impactful innings of 43 from 28 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes during his stay.

At the other end, Patidar reached his half-century in stunning fashion, bringing it up in only 21 balls with back-to-back sixes off Rabada in the 17th over. Tim David, returning to the playing XI, failed to provide the late flourish RCB expected as he was bowled by Prasidh Krishna for just four runs. But Patidar ensured there was no slowdown in scoring.

The RCB captain dominated the death overs with fearless hitting, dispatching the Gujarat bowlers to every part of the stadium. Patidar remained unbeaten on 93 off just 39 balls, smashing five fours and nine towering sixes in a breathtaking captain’s knock.

Jitesh Sharma also played a useful cameo of 15 as RCB crossed the 250-run mark, registering the highest total ever recorded in IPL playoff history.

For the Gujarat Titans, Jason Holder and Kagiso Rabada picked up two wickets each, but their bowlers struggled badly under relentless pressure from the RCB batting line-up.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 254/5 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 93*, Virat Kohli 43, Krunal Pandya 43; Jason Holder 2-39, Kagiso Rabada 2-54) against Gujarat Titans

–IANS

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