Delhi: In the first qualifier match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) gave a stellar performance by defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) by 92 runs and booked the ticket for the final. In this match played in Dharamsala, Bengaluru completely dominated both the batting and bowling departments. Now Royal Challengers Bangalore will play the title match on May 31 at Narendra Modi Stadium.

Rajat Patidar’s captaincy innings changed the course of the match

Batting first, Bengaluru scored a huge score, the biggest reason for which was the explosive batting of captain Rajat Patidar. Patidar scored unbeaten 93 runs in just 33 balls. His innings included 5 fours and 9 long sixes. He put Gujarat bowlers under complete pressure by playing aggressive shots all around the field.

Apart from Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya also made important contributions. Both the batsmen put the team in a strong position by scoring 43-43 runs. Thanks to these innings, Bengaluru set a very difficult target of 255 runs for Gujarat.

Gujarat’s batting completely disintegrated

Gujarat Titans, who set out to chase the huge target, had a very poor start. After the initial wicket fell early, the team could never make a comeback in the match. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals and the entire team was reduced to 162 runs.

Only Rahul Tewatia was seen struggling from Gujarat side. He played a fighting inning of 68 runs in 43 balls. This was also his first half-century this season. Jos Buttler definitely scored 29 runs, but other batsmen proved to be a complete flop.

Jacob Duffy and Bhuvneshwar Kumar wreaked havoc

Bengaluru bowlers also performed brilliantly in this match. Fast bowler Jacob Duffy broke the back of Gujarat’s batting in the initial overs. He completely changed the course of the match by taking three important wickets.

Whereas experienced bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar took two wickets and with this he again won the Purple Cap. Almost all the Bengaluru bowlers bowled with a disciplined line and length and did not give Gujarat any chance to score big.

RCB created a new history

This is the fifth time in IPL history that Royal Challengers Bangalore has reached the final. Earlier, the team had also reached the title match in 2009, 2011, 2016 and 2025. Bengaluru has now reached the third position in terms of playing the finals most number of times. Ahead of him are only Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.

Apart from this, under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar, Bengaluru has become the third team which has made it to the finals continuously while being the defending champion. Earlier this achievement was only in the names of Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.