Dharamshala, May 26: The first qualifier of the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) is underway at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, featuring Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT). After losing the toss, RCB opted to bat first, posting a formidable total of 254 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, thanks to captain Rajat Patidar’s unbeaten 93 runs.
RCB opened the innings with Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer. Iyer provided a quick start but was dismissed for 19 runs off 7 balls, with the team score at just 21. Kohli then formed a solid partnership of 72 runs with Devdutt Padikkal for the second wicket. Kohli scored 43 runs off 25 balls, hitting 5 fours and 1 six before being bowled by Jason Holder. Shortly after Kohli’s dismissal, Padikkal also fell, contributing 30 runs from 19 balls with 5 fours.
After losing 3 wickets for just 94 runs, RCB was steadied by captain Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya, who put together a thrilling partnership of 94 runs off 45 balls for the fourth wicket. Krunal scored 43 runs off 28 balls, including 2 sixes and 5 fours. Tim David struggled at the crease, scoring only 4 runs off 5 balls before being bowled by Prasidh Krishna.
Rajat Patidar remained not out, narrowly missing a century but ensuring RCB reached a competitive score. He scored 93 runs off 33 balls, featuring 9 sixes and 5 fours. Alongside him, Jitesh Sharma contributed 15 runs off 5 balls, remaining not out as well. Patidar’s explosive innings helped RCB achieve 254 runs, with a remarkable 86 runs scored in the last 5 overs, marking the highest score in playoffs so far.
For GT, Kagiso Rabada took 2 wickets for 54 runs in 4 overs, while Jason Holder also claimed 2 wickets for 39 runs in 4 overs. Prasidh Krishna managed to take 1 wicket for 53 runs in his 4 overs.
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