Royal Challengers Bangalore Advance to IPL 2026 Final with Dominant Win Over Gujarat

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore have secured a place in the IPL 2026 final. In the first qualifier match held on Tuesday, Bangalore clinched a commanding 92-run victory over the Gujarat Titans. Chasing a massive target of 255 runs set by Bangalore, Gujarat was bowled out for 162 runs in 19.3 overs. Rahul Tewatia’s half-century was the lone consolation for Gujarat; he scored 68 runs off 43 balls. Additionally, Jos Buttler contributed 29 runs while Sai Sudharsan added 14 runs.

For Bangalore, Jacob Duffy took 3 wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam, and Krunal Pandya claimed 2 wickets each. Josh Hazlewood took 1 wicket. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Bangalore posted a strong total of 254 runs for 5 wickets in their 20 overs. Captain Rajat Patidar played a magnificent unbeaten innings of 93 runs off 33 balls, striking 9 sixes and 5 fours. After losing the first wicket at 20 runs, Patidar added 73 more to stabilize the innings, putting Royal Challengers in a commanding position. Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya both scored 43 runs apiece. Venky Iyer contributed 19 runs, while Jitesh Sharma remained not out on 15 runs.

For Gujarat, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder took 2 wickets each, and Prasidh Krishna claimed 1 wicket. With this win, Bangalore has directly qualified for the final, while the defeated Gujarat Titans still have one more opportunity to reach the final. On Wednesday, the Eliminator match will be played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals. The winner of the Eliminator will face Gujarat for a place in the final.