One Of The Most Thrilling Playoff Games You Will Ever See Was Qualifier 1 Between Royal Challengers Bengaluru & Gujarat Titans The highly cherished encounter at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala has thus kept fans amidst fireworks following aggressive batting, swift wickets and remarkable performances.
RCB is top of the table thanks to an all-round performance in every department against Gujarat Titans, winning by 92 runs. Batting first, RCB managed to score 254 runs in their allotted 20 overs with 5 wickets lost. The Titans, compared to the CSK chase, struggled more and could only manage 162 runs in 19.3 overs before being bowled out.
It was Rajat Patidar, RCB captain who stole the show in this match. He scored an explosive 93 not out off just 33 balls and rattled the Gujarat Titans bowlers. Devdutt Padikkal, Krunal Pandya and Virat Kohli also played pivotal roles in taking RCB to a big total.
Rahul Tewatia scored an unbeaten half-century, but it was too much to chase down for Gujarat Titans in the process Gujarat Titans never found their rhythm against RCB bowlers, who kept it tight throughout the innings.
Such was the command of this win that it helped Royal Challengers Bengalsu to storm into the IPL 2026 final.
Match Information
| Match Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans |
| Tournament | Indian Premier League 2026 |
| Stage | Qualifier 1 |
| Date | 26 May 2026 |
| Venue | Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala |
| Toss | Gujarat Titans won the toss and chose to bowl |
| Result | Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 92 runs |
| Player of the Match | Rajat Patidar |
| Umpires | Jayaraman Madanagopal and Virender Sharma |
| Third Umpire | Nitin Menon |
| Match Referee | Javagal Srinath |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Innings Report
Royal Challengers Bengaluru began their innings with some aggressive batting. Venkatesh Iyer was aggressive from the very first over and getting boundaries quite easily. RCB got off to a flying start as he scored 19 runs in just 7 balls.
Virat Kohli then masterfully took control of the innings. He hit some elegant shots and rotated the strike well. Kohli, who scored 43 off only 25 deliveries, built a crucial partnership with Devdutt Padikkal.
Padikkal too looked at ease and scored a valuable 30. In the aftermath of their scalps, skipper Rajat Patidar set about revamping the innings with his counter-attacking stroke play.
Patidar scored one of the greatest innings in the history of IPL 2026. He tore through every bowler, smashing nine colossal sixes. He scored 93 not out off only 33 balls at an incredible strike rate of 281.82
He received solid support from Krunal Pandya who played a brilliant innings of 43 runs off just 28 balls. Partnership between Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya was the game-changer of the innings.
Jitesh Sharma then hit a flurry of runs towards the end, and RCB ended their innings at 254/5.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Batting Scorecard
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venkatesh Iyer | c Shubman Gill b Kagiso Rabada | 19 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 271.43 |
| Virat Kohli | b Jason Holder | 43 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 172.00 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | c Jos Buttler b Jason Holder | 30 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 157.89 |
| Rajat Patidar (c) | not out | 93 | 33 | 5 | 9 | 281.82 |
| Krunal Pandya | c Sai Sudharsan b Kagiso Rabada | 43 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 153.57 |
| Tim David | b Prasidh Krishna | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Jitesh Sharma (wk) | not out | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 300.00 |
Extras
7 (b1, lb1, w3, nb2)
Total
254/5 in 20 overs
Gujarat Titans Bowling Scorecard
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Siraj | 3 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 15.30 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 4 | 0 | 54 | 2 | 13.50 |
| Jason Holder | 4 | 0 | 39 | 2 | 9.80 |
| Rashid Khan | 3 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 9.70 |
| Prasidh Krishna | 4 | 0 | 53 | 1 | 13.20 |
| Kulwant Khejroliya | 2 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 15.50 |
Fall of Wickets – Royal Challengers Bengaluru
| Wicket | Score | Over |
|---|---|---|
| Venkatesh Iyer | 21/1 | 1.6 |
| Virat Kohli | 93/2 | 8.2 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | 94/3 | 8.4 |
| Krunal Pandya | 189/4 | 16.1 |
| Tim David | 214/5 | 17.6 |
Rajat Patidar’s Captaincy Knock
An innings that will never be taken out from Rajat Patidar’s memory during pressure. The RCB skipper was aggressive from the start and went after each and every bowler from Gujarat Titans.
It was his timing, power hitting, and audacity that set the two sides apart. Patidar continued to keep the run rate high in the innings and never allowed the bowlers to settle down.
These were the moments that the crowd in Dharamsala lapped up from his bat. That became one of the best performances during playoffs in IPL 2026 and it was obvious Tej was already a well-tinctured MVP.
Gujarat Titans Chase
Chasing 255, Gujarat Titans were looking for a strong start but the RCB bowlers piled immediate pressure on them.
The innings started off well for Sai Sudharsan before he fell early to Jacob Duffy. Captain shubman Gill failed with the bat as he was also dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Jos Buttler, who also played attacking cricket scored an unbeaten 29 from just 11 balls. But he was dismissed at a critical juncture by the heavy-ball bowler Josh Hazlewood.
Wickets fall within powerplay, the biggest problem for Gujarat Titans. Suddenly, chasing the total became a huge ask as the team lost five wickets for just 51 runs.
Rahul Tewatia fought valiantly He composed a magnificent innings of 68 runs off 43 and struck a number of fours and some sixes.
Sadly for him, no batter gave him appropriate support from the opposite end. Gujarat Titans bowled out for 162 in the end.
Gujarat Titans Batting Scorecard
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sai Sudharsan | hit wicket by Jacob Duffy | 14 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 155.56 |
| Shubman Gill (c) | b Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
| Jos Buttler (wk) | b Josh Hazlewood | 29 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 263.64 |
| Nishant Sindhu | c and b Rasikh Salam Dar | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 166.67 |
| Washington Sundar | c Josh Hazlewood b Jacob Duffy | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Jason Holder | c Josh Hazlewood b Rasikh Salam Dar | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Rahul Tewatia | c Rajat Patidar b Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 68 | 43 | 8 | 4 | 158.14 |
| Rashid Khan | c Jitesh Sharma b Jacob Duffy | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 88.89 |
| Kagiso Rabada | c Virat Kohli b Krunal Pandya | 9 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 180.00 |
| Mohammed Siraj | c Tim David b Krunal Pandya | 5 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 38.46 |
| Prasidh Krishna | not out | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 85.71 |
Extras
8 (lb 1, w 6, nb 1)
Total
162 all out in 19.3 overs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Bowling Scorecard
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Duffy | 4 | 0 | 39 | 3 | 9.80 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 4 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 7.00 |
| Josh Hazlewood | 4 | 0 | 39 | 1 | 9.80 |
| Rasikh Salam Dar | 3 | 1 | 24 | 2 | 8.00 |
| Krunal Pandya | 3.3 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 4.60 |
| Romario Shepherd | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 15.00 |
Fall of Wickets – Gujarat Titans
| Wicket | Score | Over |
|---|---|---|
| Sai Sudharsan | 17/1 | 2.3 |
| Shubman Gill | 27/2 | 3.1 |
| Jos Buttler | 51/3 | 4.5 |
| Nishant Sindhu | 51/4 | 5.1 |
| Jason Holder | 51/5 | 5.4 |
| Washington Sundar | 65/6 | 8.2 |
| Rashid Khan | 78/7 | 10.3 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 88/8 | 11.2 |
| Rahul Tewatia | 156/9 | 18.1 |
| Mohammed Siraj | 162/10 | 19.3 |
Rahul Tewatia’s Fighting Innings
The only batter who looked at ease throughout this game for Gujarat Titans was Rahul Tewatia. Regardless of losing wickets at the other end, he kept attacking even under pressure.
Tewatia made 68 runs and brought some excitement to the fans with huge hits. That knock was laced with eight fours and four sixes.
Despite Gujarat Titans losing the match, his valiant effort was praised by cricket fans.
Important Moments of the Match
The biggest of these was between Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya. It certainly altered the course of the game with their aggressive batting.
The second big shift was when Gujarat Titans lost five wickets in the powerplay. The required run rate climbed at a heavy pace after that collapse.
RCB won the match by a big margin, and it was even Jacob Duffy’s early wickets that contributed too.
Match Highlights
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru scored 254/5 in 20 overs.
- Rajat Patidar remained unbeaten on 93 runs.
- Virat Kohli scored 43 runs from 25 balls.
- Krunal Pandya contributed with both bat and ball.
- Gujarat Titans were bowled out for 162 runs.
- Rahul Tewatia scored 68 runs.
- Jacob Duffy took three wickets.
- RCB won the match by 92 runs.
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru qualified for the IPL 2026 final.
Conclusion
A one-sided affair: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans Match Scorecard—Qualifier 1, Dharamsala, 26 May 2026 Here the scorecard is proof of RCB’s complete dominance.
With bat, ball, and in the field, the team was brilliant. It was these two that formed the high points of the match, with Patidar’s massive innings as well as his bowling unit ensuring that Gujarat Titans got nowhere near their goal.
It started with a Virat Kohli who got going, Krunal Pandya’s all-round brilliance and ended with a brilliant spell from Jacob Duffy.
The total of 227 was too much to chase down despite the fight given by Rahul Tewatia for Gujarat Titans.
That emphatic win took Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the IPL 2026 final with thrills abound.
FAQs About Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans Match Scorecard- Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala, 26 May 2026
Q1. Who won the RCB vs GT Qualifier 1 match in IPL 2026?
Answer: Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the match by 92 runs.
Q2. Who was the Player of the Match?
Answer: Rajat Patidar won the Player of the Match award.
Q3. Where was the match played?
Answer: The match was played at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala.
Q4. Which bowler took the most wickets for RCB?
Answer: Jacob Duffy took three wickets.
Q5. Did Royal Challengers Bengaluru qualify for the IPL 2026 final?
Answer: Yes, Royal Challengers Bengaluru qualified for the IPL 2026 final after this victory.