Royal Challengers Bengaluru are heading to the IPL 2026 final at Ahmedabad on May 31, and they booked their place in the most dominant fashion imaginable. A scarcely believable 93 off 33 balls from Rajat Patidar* — his Player of the Match performance — powered RCB to a colossal total before their bowlers dismissed Gujarat Titans for 162, completing a 92-run victory in Qualifier 1 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.

The defending champions will have a four-day break to prepare for the final, while GT, Rajasthan Royals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad battle through the knockout rounds for the remaining spot. GT face the winner of tomorrow's Eliminator between RR and SRH in Qualifier 2 on May 29 in New Chandigarh.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Innings: 254 in 20.0 Overs

RCB's innings was a masterclass in relentless power hitting, built on a rapid powerplay and an extraordinary middle-order explosion from Patidar that left the Dharamsala crowd in stunned admiration.

The powerplay produced a commanding 76 runs for 1 wicket in 6 overs, with Virat Kohli leading from the front in typically authoritative fashion. The second-wicket stand between Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal raced to 50 in just 23 balls (Kohli 32, Padikkal 23, extras 0) — an immaculate partnership of timing and placement. RCB crossed 50 in 3.6 overs (24 balls) with no extras, showing the surface was true and the conditions perfect for batting.

An early DRS moment in over 0.5 saw RCB successfully challenge a wide against Shubman Gill — upheld — a sharp piece of umpire oversight that set the tone for RCB's attentiveness throughout. At the first strategic timeout (6 overs), RCB were 76/1, Kohli on 34 and Padikkal on 23.

Padikkal survived a wicket review in over 8.4 (struck down), and RCB crossed 100 in 10.1 overs (61 balls). As the innings progressed into the middle overs, Krunal Pandya joined Rajat Patidar at the crease and the pair forged a fourth-wicket stand of 50 in 35 balls (Patidar 21, Pandya 30, extras 2), with a successful no-ball review in over 14.2 in Pandya's favour adding to GT's mounting frustrations.

RCB crossed 150 in 14.3 overs (88 balls), and at the second strategic timeout (15 overs) stood at 168/3 — Patidar on 36 and Pandya on 35, both accelerating hard.

Then Patidar shifted into a completely different dimension. His fifty arrived off just 21 balls — 3 fours and 5 sixes — and he barely slowed down from there. RCB blazed past 200 in 16.4 overs (102 balls) and 250 in 19.4 overs (120 balls), finishing on a total that would have been unthinkable at the halfway stage of the powerplay. Patidar finished unbeaten on a sensational 93 off 33 balls*, one of the finest knockout innings in recent IPL history.

RCB Impact Player Subs used: Romario Shepherd (in for Jacob Duffy, GT innings over 10.6), Abhinandan Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Jordan Cox, Suyash Sharma.

Gujarat Titans Innings: 162 in 19.3 Overs (Target: 255)

Needing 255 to win, Gujarat Titans were simply outclassed. RCB's bowlers produced a sensational powerplay of their own — the first six overs reading a devastating 51 runs for 5 wickets. The chase was over as a contest before it had properly started.

GT crawled to 50 in 4.4 overs (28 balls) — by which point five of their top six were back in the pavilion. At the strategic timeout (8.2 overs), GT were a hopeless 65/6, with Rahul Tewatia — brought in as GT's impact player substitute for Kulwant Khejroliya before the GT innings — on just 4, left to piece together something from the wreckage.

GT reached 100 in 12.2 overs (75 balls), with Tewatia finding his range. At the second strategic timeout (16 overs), the scoreboard showed 134/8 — Tewatia now on 48 and Mohammed Siraj on 5, putting on a spirited ninth-wicket stand. Tewatia reached his fifty off 33 balls (6 fours, 3 sixes) — a lone fighter's knock of genuine quality — and the ninth-wicket partnership produced 50 in 30 balls (Tewatia 45, Siraj 5).

RCB challenged a wide against Tewatia in over 17.0 (struck down), and GT passed 150 in 17.2 overs (105 balls), but the game was long since decided. GT were eventually bowled out for 162 in 19.3 overs — 92 runs short of RCB's monumental target.

GT Impact Player Subs used: Rahul Tewatia (in for Kulwant Khejroliya, RCB innings over 18.6), Prasidh Krishna, Glenn Phillips, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat.
What's Next: The Road to the IPL 2026 Final

RCB are through to the IPL 2026 Final at Ahmedabad on May 31, where they will look to defend the title they won last season. They have a well-earned four-day break to prepare.

The remaining path to the final:

  • Eliminator (May 28): Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
  • Qualifier 2 (May 29, New Chandigarh): Gujarat Titans vs Winner of Eliminator
  • Final (May 31, Ahmedabad): RCB vs Winner of Qualifier 2

Result

Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 92 runs

RCB posted 254 and dismissed GT for 162 in 19.3 overs. Rajat Patidar's 93* off 33 was the defining innings of the match and one of the great knockout performances in IPL history. For GT, Tewatia's defiant 50 was a rare bright spot in a night that belonged entirely to the men in red and black.

Match played at HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala | IPL 2026, Qualifier 1 | May 27, 2026 Player of the Match: Rajat Patidar (RCB) — 93 (33)*