Captain Rajat Patidar smashed nine sixes in 33 balls, turning a precarious position into a demolition that will echo through the 2026 IPL playoffs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru were wobbling at 94–3 in the ninth over when Patidar took the bat and began turning the tournament's biggest stage into his personal practice net. What followed was breathtaking: 254–5, with 126 runs plundered from the final seven overs alone — the highest total in IPL playoff history.
The match meant everything. RCB came into this qualifier having nudged past Gujarat Titans for top spot in the league phase by the slimmest of margins, net run-rate alone separating the rivals. When Virat Kohli departed for 43 in the early phase, the defending champions needed someone to seize the moment. Patidar did far more than that. His 93 not out, studded with five fours alongside those nine towering sixes, transformed a halfway precarious position into an insurmountable wall of runs.
Gujarat's challenge crumbled before it truly began. Their two opening pillars — Sai Sudharsan and India Test captain Shubman Gill — both fell in quick succession, in the third and fourth overs respectively. Sudharsan's dismissal carried a note of misfortune: his bat slipped during a cut shot, bounced back, and clattered the stumps for a hit-wicket verdict. The tournament's leading run-scorer had simply run out of luck.
Jos Buttler, the England wicketkeeper, arrived with pedigree and intent. He struck four fours and two sixes, reaching 29, but couldn't build the innings Gujarat desperately needed. Josh Hazlewood, the Australian fast bowler in RCB's ranks, claimed him with a delivery that broke through. From there, Gujarat's innings became an exercise in damage control. Rahul Tewatia battled to 68, but by then the contest was beyond resurrection. Gujarat limped to 162 all out, dismissed in the final over, 92 runs adrift.
For RCB, the reward is a place in Sunday's final — a return to their ultimate goal after winning last year's title. For Gujarat, the loss stings but doesn't eliminate them entirely. They have a second path forward: a qualifier match against the winner of Wednesday's eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals. That victory would send them through to the final as well, keeping alive the dreams of a team that came agonizingly close to topping the group stage.
But on this night, Patidar's brilliance proved the difference. His 93 off 33 balls stands as a reminder of how swiftly momentum can shift in franchise cricket, and how one captain in form can remake a match's entire complexion. RCB had their ticket to the final. Now comes the business of securing the silverware.