Rajat Patidar lit up IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 with a career-best display against Gujarat Titans, driving Royal Challengers Bengaluru to an eye-catching total and another shot at the title. The RCB skipper remained unbeaten on 93 off 33 balls, a knock that not only propelled his team to 254/5 but also set a new benchmark for the highest score in IPL playoff history.
Key takeaways
- Patidar struck an unbeaten 93 from 33 deliveries in Qualifier 1 versus Gujarat Titans.
- Bengaluru posted 254/5, the top total ever recorded in an IPL playoff.
- RCB booked their second consecutive IPL final by winning the match by 92 runs.
- Patidar finished with nine sixes and five fours at a strike rate of 281.82.
- Ravichandran Ashwin praised Patidar’s Kagiso Rabada six as the “shot of the day,” possibly even bigger than that.
RCB’s record-setting march to the final
Royal Challengers Bengaluru surged into their second straight IPL final after overpowering Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 at Dharamshala. The result was emphatic: RCB won by 92 runs, and the tone of the night was set by their captain, who completely dismantled the GT bowling unit with aggressive, fearless batting.
Patidar carried the innings with remarkable power, smashing nine sixes and five boundaries while maintaining a strike rate of 281.82. His innings featured a standout burst as well—he managed to take 28 runs in a single over off Kulwant Khejroliya, underlining how quickly the RCB captain could shift gears.
The defining moment: Patidar’s Rabada backfoot six
The most talked-about blow arrived in the 17th over against Kagiso Rabada. After reaching a blistering half-century in only 21 balls, Patidar produced a stunning backfoot six. The delivery was high-paced and pitched outside the off stump, but instead of playing it safe, he stayed deep in the crease, opened his arms, and cleared the cover boundary with timing that looked effortless.
Ravichandran Ashwin reacted strongly to the shot, calling it the “shot of the day” and even hinting it could be among the best of the tournament. On his YouTube channel, ‘Ash Ki Baat’, he said: “That backfoot six Rajat hit off Kagiso Rabada was straight-up shot of the day, probably even a contender for shot of the tournament. How he even managed to generate that power from there is beyond me.”
Ashwin also weighed in on the broader impact of the innings on the captaincy and batting conversations, noting that before this performance Shreyas Iyer may have been ahead in those discussions. After the qualifier, however, he felt Patidar had moved right to the top: “Before this knock, Shreyas Iyer was probably a bit ahead in the captaincy and batting conversations, but after tonight, Patidar is right up there.”
The former India spinner further highlighted the variety in Patidar’s game, stressing that while many know he is effective versus spin, the way he dealt with fast bowling during the innings was particularly impressive. Ashwin added that the sixes Patidar struck off Rashid Khan stood out too, pointing out how rare it is to see batters get onto the front foot, meet the ball on the pitch, and then still clear extra cover for six with such consistency. He concluded with the sentiment: “Pure class. Cometh the man, cometh the hour.”
