Royal Challengers Bengaluru turned their chase against Lucknow Super Giants into a composed, high-tempo performance on a Chinnaswamy pitch that played slightly slower and more unpredictable than usual, chasing down 147 with 29 balls to spare. The run chase reinforced RCB’s evolving brand of aggressive T20 batting, with captain Rajat Patidar setting the tone early and dragging the innings forward after the initial setbacks.
RCB’s chase began with a jolt when Phil Salt and Devdutt Padikkal departed for modest scores, both failing to reach a strike rate of 100. After that, Patidar accelerated quickly, smashing three maximums and a boundary in his opening 12 deliveries to reach 27 at a pace that hovered above 200. Even his dismissal reflected that intent: he was looking to clear the ground by taking on Prince Yadav, and the risk of attacking from that position ultimately caught up with him.
The knock was consistent with the fearless rhythm Patidar has been showing in IPL 2026. His recent outings included a 53 off 20 against Mumbai Indians, 63 off 40 versus Rajasthan Royals, a 50 off 29 against Chennai Super Kings, and a 31 off just 12 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Ambati Rayudu, the former India batter, suggested that this ferocity from the captain is spreading through the rest of the batting group as well, saying Patidar’s mindset is “rubbing off” on the squad.
Rayudu highlighted the clarity of the instruction being followed in the middle: “They are going after every ball. The captain is doing that so the team is following that tempo and that template. Whenever you see Patidar walk in, he comes with a lot of intent.” He added that the same mindset has started to influence batters who are not on strike as well, making it easier for the innings to stay aggressive rather than becoming reactive. “It is rubbing off on his non-striker as well as the batters who are following. It is quite refreshing to see RCB play that way.
He also pointed to how RCB managed the conditions better than Lucknow: “Playing on a slow wicket, they adapted way better than the way Lucknow’s batters did. It was a slow wicket, they had to adjust their shots and their bat swing but they played some fantastic shots. Generally, we have seen a lot of sixes against loose balls, but this batting line-up has been hitting sixes against really good deliveries. That’s a great sign.”
After Patidar’s surge, the chase was kept under control by Jitesh Sharma, who produced a quick 23 off nine balls. Tim David and Romario Shepherd then finished the job by staying unbeaten, adding 14 runs off eight deliveries between them. While David and Shepherd’s power-hitting was expected, Jitesh’s innings carried extra weight because it marked his first double-digit score of the season. In his previous four matches, he had managed 0, DNB, 5 and 10, making this contribution a notable shift in form.
Aaron Finch, the former Australia captain and T20 World Cup winner, said Jitesh’s approach captured what RCB have increasingly looked like this season: confident, proactive batting without overthinking the scoreboard too early. Finch framed the bigger picture as a team that plays with belief, adding that the gap between the top and bottom of the standings is visible not just in results, but in how batters commit to plans during run chases. “That’s just a batting unit with a lot of confidence,” Finch said. “You can see the gap between the teams on the top of the table and the bottom. That was again evident today. They go with a similar structure on how they go about their run-chases. They go hard even when the game [is in their grasp].”
Finch noted that even when a chase is going well, RCB don’t drift into a defensive mode. “It would’ve been easy in that situation for one of their batters to get 25 not out, but no, that’s not how they play cricket in Bengaluru now. They continue to stick to their guns, they play to their strengths. If the match up is theirs, they go for it. They put to bed games quite comfortably.”
He also explained why that mindset matters for team culture, warning that changing approach once control is gained can dilute standards across the group. “The consequences of when you do that [watchful batting when games are in control], then you lose credibility. [Team-mates might feel] that If someone is prepared to just knock it around and look out for themselves, then, next time they might do that too because they’re worried about next year’s contract. That’s how [team] cultures crumble so quickly. The fact that they went out and did what they talked about – brilliant.”
Rayudu returned to the theme of intent and fit within the side, saying RCB’s approach has become a “non-negotiable” now. “Everyone is fitting beautifully into Patidar’s template and they want to fit in,” Rayudu said. “Without that kind of positive intent, I don’t think they’d be looked at for staying in the XI, they’d be dropped. That’s a great attitude to have and it looks like an amazing team that puts the team in front of everything else.”
