RCB Crush Gujarat Titans By 92 Runs To Reach IPL 2026 Final

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru delivered a dominant all-round performance to defeat Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 clash on Tuesday and storm into the final.

With this emphatic victory, RCB became the first team to qualify for the IPL 2026 final, while Gujarat Titans moved to Qualifier 2 for another chance to enter the title clash.

Batting first, Bengaluru piled up a massive total of 254/5 in 20 overs before bundling Gujarat Titans out for 162 in 19.3 overs.

Patidar Leads Bengaluru Batting Masterclass

After winning the toss, Gujarat Titans opted to bowl first.

RCB openers Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli added 21 runs for the first wicket before Venkatesh departed for 19 runs.

Devdutt Padikkal then joined Kohli and the duo stitched together a crucial 72-run partnership for the second wicket. Kohli looked in fine touch before getting dismissed for 43 runs, including five boundaries and a six, just short of his half-century.

Captain Rajat Patidar then walked in and completely changed the momentum of the match.

Padikkal contributed 30 runs with five boundaries before departing, after which Krunal Pandya joined Patidar in the middle.

The pair attacked the Gujarat bowlers aggressively and added a rapid 95-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Krunal Pandya smashed 43 runs with five boundaries and two sixes.

After Tim David fell for 4 runs, Jitesh Sharma supported Patidar brilliantly in the final overs.

Patidar played a sensational unbeaten knock of 93 runs off just 33 balls, smashing five boundaries and nine sixes. Jitesh Sharma remained unbeaten on 15 runs.

For Gujarat Titans, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder picked up two wickets each, while Prasidh Krishna claimed one wicket.

Bengaluru Bowlers Dominate Gujarat Chase

Chasing a daunting target of 255, Gujarat Titans suffered a dramatic collapse and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

The team was reduced to 88/8 within no time, putting the match completely out of reach.

Sai Sudharsan scored 14 runs, captain Shubman Gill managed only 2, while Jos Buttler fought briefly with 29 runs that included four boundaries and two sixes.

Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Washington Sundar, Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada also failed to make significant contributions.

Rahul Tewatia was the lone bright spot in Gujarat’s innings, scoring a fighting 68 runs off 43 balls with eight boundaries and four sixes.

Mohammed Siraj was dismissed for 5 runs as Gujarat Titans were eventually bowled out for 162.

For RCB, Jacob Duffy starred with three wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam and Krunal Pandya claimed two wickets each. Josh Hazlewood chipped in with one wicket.

Back-To-Back Finals For RCB

Notably, Royal Challengers Bengaluru had also won Qualifier 1 in the previous season before reaching the final.

With another commanding playoff performance, RCB will now head into the IPL 2026 final with strong momentum and confidence.