Royal Challengers Bengaluru delivered an extraordinary turnaround in IPL 2026 on Friday, but it came with a twist: despite going down by six wickets to the Rajasthan Royals, the defending champions still managed to create a record in their chase of a challenging total. Bangalore’s innings featured a major lift after a shaky start, as 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struck 78 off just 26 balls to steer the contest in his team’s favour. For RCB, the positives were rooted in their batting fightback—recovering from 94/6 to post 202 on the board—an effort that also set a new milestone in the tournament’s history.
Key takeaways
- RCB suffered a six-wicket defeat to the Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2026 match on Friday.
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced a blistering 78 off 26 deliveries to help Rajasthan secure the win.
- RCB recovered from 94/6 to finish with a competitive 202-run total.
- They became the first IPL side to reach 200 after losing their first six wickets for fewer than 100 runs.
- Rajat Patidar scored a half-century and built key partnerships with Romario Shepherd and Venkatesh Iyer.
RCB’s record chase of 200 after a disastrous powerplay
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s innings began under pressure and quickly slipped to 94/6. Yet the middle-order provided the spark needed to keep the innings alive and, more importantly, pushed RCB to a total of 202. The remarkable aspect of the performance was not just the final score, but the way Bangalore engineered a path to the 200-run mark after early setbacks.
With wickets tumbling early, RCB still managed to cross 200—an achievement that no team in IPL history had previously delivered under the same conditions. The defending champions were the first to reach the 200-run threshold even after losing their opening six wickets for less than 100. That record also surpassed the previous best benchmark: Punjab Kings had held the top spot by compiling 183 against Mumbai Indians in 2024 after a similar early-wicket situation.
Dinesh Karthik hails resilience as pitch conditions prove tricky
In the aftermath of RCB’s first away outing of the season against Rajasthan Royals—where they ultimately lost by six wickets—RCB’s batting coach and team mentor Dinesh Karthik highlighted the character shown by the group. He framed the result within the long season context of the IPL, arguing that success comes from persistent effort even when a team doesn’t win every match.
Karthik said it’s vital to remember that the IPL is essentially a marathon rather than a sprint, and that progress is built by responding to adversity with fight and consistency. He also pointed out that the wicket was far from straightforward to bat on, which made the recovery and the final total even more impressive.
Further explaining the conditions, he noted that the surface wasn’t behaving in an easy manner and that the ball appeared to stick, a factor reflected by Dev’s dismissal. In his view, reaching the score they did despite those hurdles stood out as a positive takeaway for the team.
Special praise for Rajat Patidar’s temperament and shot selection
Karthik saved his strongest compliments for Rajat Patidar. He spoke about how Patidar’s performance stood out not only for his ability to find boundaries, but also for the way he understood the match situation and paced his innings accordingly.
He added that Patidar’s composure was evident in the late stages, stressing how the skipper ensured he remained involved almost until the end. For Karthik, that response to a difficult situation reflected the kind of mindset the team will need across the tournament.
