Royal Challengers Bengaluru had Gujarat Titans on the ropes in their IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 encounter, but it turned into an utterly one-sided yet undeniably thrilling game at Dharmsala. The playoff, featuring dominant batting, explosive bowling and stunning fielding had everything a cricket fan hoped for.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru produced one of their best displays of the season, thumping Gujarat Titans by 92 runs. In the first innings, Royal Challengers Bangalore racked up 254 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. The Titans could not chase the target successfully, however, folding for 162 in 19.3 overs.
For the record, Rajat Patidar was the star of the match. The RCB skipper scored a blistering 93 runs off just 33 deliveries. His fearless batting left Royal Challengers Bengaluru in complete command.
At the same time, Virat Kohli did veteran work while batting first and walked away with the valuable runs in front of Krunal Pandya and Devdutt Padikkal. Gujarat Titans’ Rahul Tewatia tried hard in the chase, but the target had proved too tough.
This crucial victory propelled Royal Challengers Bengaluru into the final, not IPL 2026.
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, Dharmsala |
| 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 |
| Referee | Javagal Srinath |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Innings
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru began their innings on the offensive. Venkatesh Iyer, who returned to the opening position and faced the first ball of all innings, unleashed quick attacking strokes. Hits quick but entertaining 20 to give momentum to the team.
Virat Kohli assumed the responsibility and batted with authority. He appeared at ease against both the pace and spin. Kohli played a key role in the innings with 43 runs from 25 balls.
Devdutt Padikkal hit positively and made some handy runs in the middle overs. But it was Rajat Patidar the captain, who had already made his name as a game-changing batsman.
Patidar decimated the bowling attack of Gujarat Titans. He hit the ball along the ground and over the fence for huge sixes everywhere. It was at an impossible strike rate of more than 280, he scored an unbeaten 93.
Krunal Pandya played a sensational knock in support as well scoring 43 off 29 balls. Jitesh extended the innings scoring quite a few runs in the lower order and propelling his team to 254.
RCB made sure that they were fearless and attacking through the entire batting innings.
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 | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Siraj | 3 | 46 | 0 | 15.30 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 4 | 54 | 2 | 13.50 |
| Jason Holder | 4 | 39 | 2 | 9.80 |
| Rashid Khan | 3 | 29 | 0 | 9.70 |
| Prasidh Krishna | 4 | 53 | 1 | 13.20 |
| Kulwant Khejroliya | 2 | 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 Match-Winning Innings
Rajat Patidar scored one of the most impeccable innings in IPL 2026. The RCB captain played with great confidence and attacked every Gujarat Titans bowler.
Patidar was unflappable under pressure and ensured that the run rate never dropped. He hit a whopping nine sixes and five fours.
His partnership with Krunal Pandya was one of the game-changers of the match. They chipped on with some vital runs and took the total to beyond Gujarat Titans’ reach.
This was music to the ears of fans in Dharmsala who soaked up every moment of his innings. The
Gujarat Titans Chase
Going into the chase of 255 runs, Gujarat Titans needed a blitz at the outset but RCB bowlers hardly gave them any room to settle in.
Sai Sudharsan whips a couple of attacking shots before Jacob Duffy gets rid of him. The captain Shubman Gill could not score in big and outed for early by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Jos Buttler did bat aggressively with a tally of 29 off just 11 balls but departed at a crucial moment, bowled by Josh Hazlewood.
Wickets falling in the powerplay was GT’s biggest concern. The pressure was huge with the team losing five wickets for just 51 runs.
Rahul Tewatia scored a great 68 to offer resistance. He scored boundaries and sixes on a regular basis and kept the scoreboard ticking. None of the batsmen, however, hung around to support him.
In the end, Gujarat Titans were restricted to just 162 runs.
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 | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Duffy | 4 | 39 | 3 | 9.80 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 4 | 28 | 2 | 7.00 |
| Josh Hazlewood | 4 | 39 | 1 | 9.80 |
| Rasikh Salam Dar | 3 | 24 | 2 | 8.00 |
| Krunal Pandya | 3.3 | 16 | 2 | 4.60 |
| Romario Shepherd | 1 | 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 Knock
who are close to the lower reaches of the table and whose disappointing positions they are living in (for now). Rahul Tewatia emerged as the only batter from Gujarat Titans who seemed comfortable throughout this chase. He was impressive with the bat and scored 68 runs playing some nice cricket shots.
Despite wickets continuing to fall at the other end, Tewatia kept attacking and looked to close down on the margin of defeat. The innings included eight fours and four sixes.
But his efforts were in vain as Gujarat Titans went on to lose the match.
Key Highlights of the Match
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru scored 254 runs in 20 overs.
- Rajat Patidar remained unbeaten on 93 runs.
- Virat Kohli scored 43 runs.
- Krunal Pandya played an important all-round role.
- Gujarat Titans lost five wickets for 51 runs.
- Rahul Tewatia scored 68 runs.
- Jacob Duffy picked up three wickets.
- RCB won the match by 92 runs.
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru qualified for the IPL 2026 final.
Conclusion
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans Match Scorecard- Qualifier 1 at Dharmsala 26 May 2026 Powered by RCB was one of the top trendsetter teams after IPL 2026.
The batting did the explosive thing while the bowlers had full control of the Gujarat Titans’ run chase. The key point of discussion, however, remained Rajat Patidar’s excellent captaincy innings.
Virat Kohli was lordly with the bat, Krunal Pandya helped with both ball and bat, and Jacob Duffy made an impression.
It was too much of a target for Gujarat Titans despite Rahul Tewatia’s fightback.
A win that would spirit the Royal Challengers Bengaluru over the IPL 2026 final as well with loads of excitement.
FAQs
Q1. IPL 2026 RCB vs GT Qualifier 1 Match Result: Who won?
Answer: Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 92 runs.
Q2. Where was the match played?
Answer: This was played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharmsala.
Q3. Who was the greatest run accumulator for runs in the match?
Answer: Rajat Patidar was the highest scorer with 93 (not out).
Q4. Virat Kohli, how many runs did you score?
Answer: Virat Kohli: 43(25)
Q5. Most wickets for RCB?
Answer: Jacob Duffy took three wickets.
How many runs did Gujarat Titans score?
Gujarat Titans: 162 all out in 19.3 overs
Gujarat Titans Batting – Who batted the best
Rahul Tewatia scored 68 runs.
IPL 2026 Final Disappointment for Royal Challengers Bengaluru?
Yes, this match is confirmed RCB is qualified final of IPL 2026.